SF 487 
.B55 
Copy 1 




**|7§0 PER YE^l^,** 



^OR^ 



HOW I MANAGE MY POULTRY 




The G-eneral Management of Poul- 
try, with Instructions for Build- 
ing Poultry Houses and Incu- 
bators, to Preserve Eggs, 
Cure Cholera, &c. 



1.000 THINGS FOR THE POULTRY YARD! 



C. G. BESSEY, ABILENE, KANSAS. 

COPYRIGHT SECITREFI MARCH 25, 1884. 





POULTRY NATION STEAM PRINT, 
-^■^ ELYRIA, OHIO. 



^SOJi<^^ 

HOW I MANAGE MY POULTRY 




The G-eneral Management of Poul- 
trj, with Instructions for Build- 
ing Poultry Houses and Incu- 
bators, to Preserve E£> 

Cure Cholera, &c. ^§^ 



1,000 THIHSS FOR THE POULTRY VaRD! 



i/ 



C. G.BESSEY, ABILENE, KANSAS. 

COPYRIGHT APPLIED FOB. .„,*-;, ^ -! ^^5>«^ 

3 1884 /| 
^ d "« ft {My 

^^-1 ^ Of 



S>5 



(^g[ lay no claims to entire originality in 
^l| this work. All breeders meet with 
^^ much the same experience, and it has 
been my aim to compile from all reliable 
sources, a concise treatise giving instruc- 
tions to beginners. I would express my in- 
debtedness for valuable hints especially to 
the "Poultry World," '' Poultrv Nation," 
and also *^ Wright's Illustrated Book of 
Poultry." 

0. G. BESSEY. 




00 



The Poultry Yard. 

The majority of farmers do not have much use 
for yards unless it be to keep their breeding pens 
separate from each other, but to the person living 
in village or city, the yard is the first consideration. 
It should be located if possible on a high gravelly 
spot; a yard sloping to the south or south-east is 
preferable. It should be as large as circumstances 
will admit, the larger the better. The one that I 
am using contains about % of an acre, divided into 
10 departments, and with proper management will 
accommodate from 100 to 400 fowls. 

A very cheap fence for poultry can be made out 
of a good quality of plastering lath, with a six or 
eight inch board at bottom and top, after the lath 
are nailed on, nail a one inch square cleat on the 
posts, let them extend about fifteen inches above 
the top of the lath, then stretch three strands of fin« 
broom wire around on top of the fence fastening it 
to the cleats, the first wire five inches above the top 
of the lath, the second ten inches, and the third fif- 
teen inches. This fence will turn almost any va- 
riety of fowls. 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 



The Poultry House. 



The poultry house should be roomy, the larger 
the better. It is not necessary to build expensive 
houses, but they should be warm. Where parties 
can aftbrd it, it is well to have them lathed and 
plastered, but where a cheaper one is desired, it can 
be boarded up and down cracks, well cleated and 
lined with tar paper. A very clieap house can be 
built without any sides, the shape of the letter A, 
only more flat. The roofs commencing at the 
ground on both sides, and raising to an elevation of 
about 7>2 -eet in the center, can be built of rough 
lumber any width, but should be about fourteen 
feet long. It should be covered with tar paper and 
have plenty of windows to let in the sun, a door at 
each end, a hall 3 feet wide running from end to 
end, made of plastering lath; this will leave ten 
feet on either side which can be divided to suit cir- 
cumstances. This plan gives the most room for the 
least amount of money of any house ever built, and 
is also very warm, but a house with walls is more 
pleasant to work in. A great many farmers have 
sheds, stables or small buildings about the premises 
that, with a little work, several feet of lumber, a 
window or two and some tar paper would make a 
very good poultry house. 

My house is 18x25, and 8 feet to the ceiling? 
boarded up and down, cracks cleated and lined 
with tar paper, four windows to the south and one 
to the east, ground floor; divided into four rooms. 

My roosts are built of 2x2 scantling, about eigh- 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 



teen inches apart, all on a level with each other and 
three feet from the ground. Eighteen inches below 
the roosts I put in a floor to catch the droppings on ; 
the roosts and floor are built on one side of the 
room, so that I can get on three sides. They are 
fastened at the one end to the wall, and in front to 
scantling running from the floor to the ceiling. 
This floor will catch the droppings, and the fowls 
will have as much ground room as though there 
were no roosts, and the house can be kept much 
cleaner than without the extra floor. Some poultry- 
men think that a house is not complete without a 
hatching room ; for my part I prefer to have a hen 
hatch in the laying nest, I think she will do it more 
satisfactor.y than it moved. For nest boxes I use 
small goods and tobacco boxes. Set on shelves or 
fastened to the wall around the outside of the room, 
they should be at least eighteen inches above the 
floor or ground, and not higher than five feet. 1 
prefer to have them arranged somewhat promiscu- 
ously, so that hens when hatching can the more 
readily distinguish their own nest from others. 
There should be a good supply of nests, as a general 
thing where there are plenty of nests pretty close 
together when a hen commences to hatch, others 
that may be laying in the same nest will go to the 
next nest. A sod turned upside down in a nest box 
with clean wheat straw makes about the best nest. 
This should be renewed when the hen is set, and 
sprinkled ^vith fine tobacco and sulphur, to prevent 
vermin. No poultry house is complete for winter 
use without a good supply of windows to let in sun- 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 



shine, and a number of dust boxes. I prefer road 
dust, sifted coal ashes, with a little sprinkling of 
wood ashes and sulphur. 



Cheap Poultry Houses. 

(From "Farm and Garden.") 
The first, which is a single and separate build- 
ing, combines cheapness and warmth. It may be 
built of any size desired, but the favorite dimen- 
sions are ten feet square, and eight feet high, the 
house being a roof (seven feet) resting upon a foot 

and a lath partition inside will divide the house into 
two separate apartments. For clieapness the yards 
may be made of lath. The cost of such a building 
in material, is the price of about 400 feet of lumber 
(boards and studding included) but the labor is 
extra. 

The arrangement shown for three such houses, 
with two yards in front and one in the rear, is 
given in order to illustrate economy of space. It is 
well known that the nearer we make the yards to 
the square shape the greater space for the fencing 
used. The two end portions of the building have 
} ards to them extending toward the front, while 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 




the centre portion has attached the yard leading to 
the rear. The rear 
yard takes exactly one- 
third of the entire 
square enclosure while 
the two-thirds in front 
is divided lengthwise 
for the end apartments. By thus combining a 
building for the accommodation of three breeds the 
cost of Inmber for the ends necessary for single 
buildings may be saved bj'^ the substitution of lath 
partitions inside, while the sashes of the windows 
are nicely inclined to collect heat and light, at the 
same time serving the purposes of a roof. 

A small coop for the confinement of a hen with 
her brood can be made cheaplj^ and yet have a pane 
of glass for light, with a wire or lath run attached. 

It can be made with or 
without aboard bottom, 
and should be easily re- 
movable from place to 
place. If the boards are 
preferred to form a bottom they should be cleaned 
daily, and sprinkled with sand or road dirt. In 
cold, wet weather, a good dry floor will be of the 
greatest advantage. 

The combined house and shed has two yards, 
which we give simply to illustrate the advantage of 
double yards. While the fowls may safely and se- 




8 Profitable Poultry liaising. 




curely roost in the closed part at night the open 
shed allows them to 
enjoy the open air un- 
der shelter during the 
day, and they can have 
the privilege of one of 
the yards while some- 
thing may be grown in the other. By alternately 
changing from one yard to the other, whenever 
necessary, the frequent spa'Mng of the recently oc- 
cupied yard promotes cleanliness, while the small 
crop of green food lessens the expense of keep and 
affords material not always convenient by the use 
of single yards. 

The doable shpds or 
houses, which are com- 
bined under the same 
roof, are shown as a 
method of economy. 
Should changeable 
yards be desired they may be placed at the rear. 




My Idea of Poultry Raising. 

Is to have some good breed or breeds — strictly 
first-class birds— a good warm house, feed well so 
as to induce winter or early laying. 100 good hens 
and ten good roosters, properly housed and cared 
for, should have 50 dozen of eggs ready to hatch — 
cither by incubator or natural — by the first day of 
March or April, from this number one could expect 
to have at the end of three moxiths 400 chicks, and 



Profhtahle Poultry Raising. 9 

from tliis number could be selected, if the original 
stock has been first-class, 100 chicks, such as are 
sold by many of our noted breeders, a' from two to 
five dollars when nine months old. The remaining 
300 chicks, if properly cared for, will sell in most of 
our large cities at three months old for $3.50 to $5.00 
per dozen. Now there is scarcely a locality where 
a good breeder with a good reputation, good stock 
and judicious advertising, will not be able to sell 
from one to two hundred sittings of eggs at from 
$1.00 to $3.00 per sitting. I aim to keep on hand as 
breeding stock 100 strictly first-class Plymouth 
Rock hens and 10 good cocks or cockerels, from this 
number I have sold this season over 200 settings of 
eggs and have raised 150 young birds that will sell 
at from $2 to $5 each. The culls that we have used 
on our own table and have sold in the market will 
almost pay the feed bill. 



My Bill of Fare for Laying Heus. 



Chemically speaking the shell of an ^gg con- 
sists chiefly of carbonate of lime, similar to chalk 
with a verj'^ small quantity of phosphate of lime and 
animal mucus. The white of an egg — albumen — is 
composed of eight parts ot water; fifteen and a half 
parts of albumen and four and a half parts of 
mucus, besides giving traces of soda, benzoin acid 
sulpherated hydrogen gas. The yolk consists of 
water, oil, albumen and gelatine. Now hens must 
have something to form shell ; oyster shells head 
the list, bones of any kind are good and by roasting 
or burning them until they are brown and brittle 



10 Profitable Poultry Raising- 

you have almost the genuine egg-shell; lime with 
gravel and sand is good. Albumen — the white of 
the e^^ — is found almost in its pure state in fresh 
sweet milk, and in wheat, oats, rye and buckwheat 
— barley and corn in the order named, corn with 
other grain furnishes oil and gelatine. While at 
large and during the summer season hens get plenty 
of seeds, weeds. »&c., that furnish a ^reat portion 
of the iten>s named. The bones and shells they are 
not apt to get, and they seldom ever can find al- 
bumen enough. Now this makes plain what we 
are to leed. 

FoK Breakfast. — Take one part meal or cracked 
corn, one part shorts and one part bran, or one part 
meal, one part chopped oats and rye and or.e part 
bran, mix with milk, or water if in the winter sea- 
son — the milk or water should be boiling hot. Do 
not use enough milk or water to make the mess 
slopp3\ Occasionally season with red pepper. One 
or two mornings during the w^eek instead ot the 
above feed " Buckeye Egg-Food." 

For Dinner. — Feed either wheat or wheat 
screenings, oats, rye, buckwheat or barley. I pre- 
fer wheat. 

For Supper. — Feed corn. Parched corn is one 
of the best feeds for evening and very healthy. 

During the winter season they should have oc- 
ca ional feeds of boiled vegetables and meat scraps. 
If they get too fat feed less corn and more of the 
other iirains. R;ither underfeed than overfeed; 
give fresh water daily, cleansing the drinking ves- 
sel every time. Every three or four days give the 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 11 

'* Douglas Mixture " in the water — a gill for every 
25 head. If there should be symptoms of disease 
give et^ery day. This simple preparation is one of 
the best tonics known; it is alternative as well as 
tonic, and possesses beside antiseptic properties 
which makes it a remedy as well as a preventative 
of disease. Place in your henery two shallow 
boxes, in one put broken bone and oyster shells, in 
the other lime, sand and charcoal. Have a good 
sized dust box tilled with road dust or fine sand, 
sifted coal ashes, and a sprinkling of lime and wood 
ashes. Now keep your house warm, sunny, well 
ventilated and clean, and you will have an abund- 
ance of eggs and healthy fowls the year round. 



A Model Poultry Yard. 

[From the Western Rural.] 

Summit Lawn Poultry Yards are located in the 
suburban village of Arlins:ton Heights, twenty-two 
miles out of Chicago, on the Wisconsin division of 
the Northwestern Railroad. Here the proprietor, 
R. B. Mitchell, Esq., has located a beautiful home, 
and for the last three years has been raising and 
caring for his favo'-ite fowls. We think that any 
one visiting these yards will have impressed upon 
them the idea that Mr. Mitchell has made a careful 
study of poultry raising, which, with his experi- 
ence and business habits, enables him to know the 
precise expense and receipts of his various coops. 

In this paper we shall briefly note the summer 
method of handling, leaving the winter keeping to 



12 Profitable Poultry Raising. 

a later noti(;e. Summit Lawn Ym-cIs are on the 
very summit of the elevation at A'-lington Heights, 
and embrnce some five acres of smooth, rich prairie 
ground, having numerous patches of vegetation 
suitable for deeding the fowls. 

The large plat of all is the lawn, which is kept 
closely shaven, and yields a daily feed of tender 
grass eagerly devoured by the fowls. The vege- 
tables raised, named in order of their relative quan- 
tities, are carrots, onions, Kussian sunflower and 
lettuce, all but the last being designed to furnish 
winter food. The old fowls now on hand number 
nearlj' three hundred and fifty, and the young 
chicks about as many more. The breeds raised by 
Mr. Mitchell are the white and brown Leghorns, 
light and dark Brahmas, black, buff" and Partridge 
Cochins, Plymouth Rocks, S. S. Hamburgs, and 
this season he is adding Houdans. The old bird* 
are confined in thirty-six yards, each yard or pen 
being in the form of a ridge roof, sloping from the 
ground on each side to the top, and with vertical 
ends. They are about sixteen feet long by twelve 
feet wide, with an elevation of six feet. The pen is 
made of four large pieces of slat work forming the 
^ides or roof-like shape, each piece being sixteen by 
four feet, and the two A shaped ends, in one of 
which is the door of admission, in the other an 
opening to a small coop about four feet square and 
five feet high, water-tight, and provided with nests 
and perches. Only ten or twelve fowls are con- 
fined in one of these yards. Each pen is so con- 
structed that it can be easily taken apart and re- 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 13 

moved to a new location, or by means of one spare 
one, the fowls can be transferred to new quarters 
while the ground of the old run is deeply spaded, 
til us fitting the whole for occupancy anew. Being 
made of light laths, the whole pen is cheap, while 
it I'lirnishes plenty of air and sun to the fowls. 

StretL'iied acioss one side of the roof, Mr. Mit- 
chell has placed a yard wide piece of tar paper to 
shade a part of the inclosure if the fowls prefer 
shade; and on the hot afternoon when our visit 
was made, tliis shade was very agreeable to them. 
The lowyr edge of this strip of paper being a foot 
from the ground, gave a nice current of air below. 
These thirty-six yards are so arranged as to form a 
hollow square, and the boy starting with his barrow 
of feed and passing round to all the fowls, tinds him- 
self at his starting place with no extra steps. Siich 
an arrangement also enables one to see at a glance 
the entire condition of all the coops and fowls. 

The feeding is done from two to six times a day 
and is exceedingly liberal. Corn, oats, wheat, 
screenings, cracker dust, oil meal, lard scraps, bran, 
corn meal, with refuse from ilie house and ottal 
from the meat market, are all used freely, and the 
high condition of the fowls, with their activity and 
excellent health, show how wisely he caters to their 
appetite. But in anotiier way yet do they show the 
result of liberal feedings. Mr. Mitchell keeps a 
perfect egg record ; each coop has every agg 
marked before it is taken out, and when the bey 
comes out of the coop it is credited with the whole 
number of eggs gathered in it. This daily record 



IJj. Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

is then preserved and carried into a book of month- 
ly and yearly record, and thus he can tell just how 
many eggs he has had laid in any day, week, 
month or year, and so can tell to a certainty just 
what food has paid in his egg factory. 

From letters he showed us we found he had 
furnished eggs to satisfied patrons in half the States 
of our Union; indeed, before our visit we had had 
the representatives of these yards shown to us in 
another State. 

Mr. Mitchell is well pleased with the egg yield he 
has had so far, and thinks he has reduced the cost 
of coops and keej)ing to the minimum for numbers 
and breeds kept, and later will be able to show sim- 
ilar cheap winter results. These yards are open to 
the inspection of all interested visitors any day of 
the week, except Sunday, and Mr. Mitchell cor- 
dially invites calls. 



Is There Money in the Business 



Proprietor of Summit Law'n Poultry Yards, R. 
B. Mitchell, of Arlington Heights, 111., makes the 
following report: 

During the year 1881 our average number of 
laying fow Is has been two hundred and thirty. The 
extreme cold winter of 1880 and 1881, and the want 
of room to properly house our fowls, prevented 
them from laying as many eggs as they otherwise 
would have done, could we have given them more 
commodious quarters. But take the season through 
we have no cause for complaint, but rather congrat- 



Profitable Poultry Raising- 15 

ulate ourselves on the success we have met with, aS 
the following statement will show : 

Some breeders might be averse to making a pub- 
lic statement of their business, but as yet we can 
see no improp iety in so doing, and as keeping 
poultry is a mooted question — whether or not there 
is any money in it — we deem it advisable to fuinish 
all the information we can on the subject, from ac- 
tual hicts and experience, for the benefit of those 
who contemplate entering into it. Does it pay lo 
keep fowls'? Our two huudred and thirty tovvls 
have in eight months laid twenty-one thousand one 
hundred and forty-three eggs; we sold, less five 
hundred we used for setting; 

For $l,i;!2 20 

Fowls sold during the eieht months... 152 90 

Total cash receipts .$1,285 10 

EXPENSES. 

Feed of all kinds % 180 00 

Boy c'ght months at $7 00 per month. . 56 00 

$236 00 

Leav ing us as net cash receipts $1,049 10 

We now have on hand to be added to this in- 
come, two hundred very choice chickens, for which 
we get from two to four and five dollars each. But 
to close up the report, we will estimate them at 
one dollar and fifty cents each, making $300.00, 
leaving us a net profit of $1,349.10 for eight months^ 
Let us ask, who can beat this with a hundred acre 
farm? 



16 Profitahle Poultry liaising. 



Artiiicial lucubatiou. 



Most persoii< are aware tliat eggs may te quite 
as successfully hatched by means of artificial heat 
regularly and constantly applied, as by the hen sit- 
ting on them. The hen does nothing for the eggs 
on which she sits, but protect and occasionally turn 
them and keep them constantly of about u unilorm 
temperature, which is from 100 to 106 degrees of 
heat by the common thermometer. This hatching 
may be done by many other modes of ai)plying the 
warmth in the same degree and with the same uni- 
formity. 

Incubators have been made and used with vary- 
ing success in this country for about forty years, 
an I in England and France for double that period, 
but until witinn the past few years they have never 
given very satisfactor}- results. 

There are being manufactured in this country 
at the present time, about thirty different incuba- 
tors, of this number there are several that are being 
used to good advantage. 1 have until quite recently 
preferred the 'Eureka,' manufactured by J. L. 
Campbell, West Elizabeth, Pa., but the 'Centen- 
nial,' manufactured by A. M. Halsted, Rye, ]^. Y., 
seems to take the lead at present. 



Jaqnes lucubator. 



For the description of this invention we are in- 
debted to C. E. Jaques, Metuchen, N. J. This is an 
Ameiican invention, and the cheapest apparatus in 



Profitable Poultry Raising, 17 

the incubator line. The inventor says, the subject 
Of artificial incubation is increasing every year, and 
knowing that the majority of the people do not feel 
able to purchase those incubators which are in the 
market, I conclude to give them at a small cost the 
benefit of successful experience. I have succeeded 
in securing a chamber in which I can regulate the 
temperature and hold it at any degree desired, my 
claim for it is, that it is the easiest to construct and 
cheapest to make of any incubator offered to the 
public. I do not claim that it will hatch as large a 
percentage of eggs, as those constructed on more 
scientific principles, yet it will hatch a large per- 
centage if carefully managed. 



DIRECTIONS FOB MAKING 

JAQUES' INCUBATOR. 

In order to make the Incubator herein described 
you need only the following articles : a sugar bar- 
rel, a round tin clothes boiler about twelve inches 
deep, see Fig. 1, a tin milk pan, see Fig. 2, and a 
kerosene lamp with a chimney. Have a barrel 



Fig. 1. ^ Fig. 2. 

without a head place in the boiler, which must b« 



is Profitable Poultry Raising. 

the size of the barrel so it can be supported irTTts 
place by its rim resting on the chime of tlie barrel. 
The pan must be of such a size, as when it is placed 



Fig. 3. 
in the boiler (as in Fig. 3) it will have a space of 
about five inches between it and the bottom of the 
boiler. It will be necessary to solder the pan in 
this position. All the space between the pan and 
the boiler must be filled with water; tliis can be 
done by punching a email hole in the side of the 
pan near the top, and inserting a funnel. It will 
not be necessary to refill in three weel«s, as the 
evaporation is so slow, you will not lose a quart- 
Make a door in the side of the barrel near the bot- 
tom, of sufficient size to admit the placing of the 
lamp under the boiler. Cover the outside of the 
barrel with four or five thicknesses of paper, well 
pasted on, to secure heat in the barrel. Bore two 
one-inch holes in the lower part of the barrel, one 
on each side, with tubes running from them to the 
base of the burner to the lamp, in order that the 
lamp may have a supply of oxygen to support the 
flame. Bore three one-inch holes near the top of 
the barrel, to allow the gas to escape. The cover 
must be lined and wadded, so it will fit tight lo the 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 19 

boiler, rhat the heat cannot escape. Cut a hole in 
the cover 3x4 inches, paste a piece of glass over it; 
directly under (which can lie on the upper shelf of 
eggs), then you ascertain the temperature without 
removing the cover; also bore two one-inch holes 
througli the cover, insert a tin tube in each for the 
purpose of ventilating the e^g chamber, which is of 
sufficient depth to allow three layers of eggs; 
cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of 
cotton, on which place the first layer of eggs, and 
at equal distance apart around the edge of the pan 
put three blocks of wood Lbout two inches square, 
on which place a round sieve with one-half or 
three-quarter inch meshes; on the top of this put 
another sieve larger than the first, so the rim of the 
lower one will support it. Cover the bottoms of 
the sieves with a piece of a coff'ee bag or some other 
light material, so the heat can pass up through it. 
The tubes to supply the lamp with air can be made 
by wrapping a piece of hardware paper around a 
broom handle three times, pasting it together ; after 
the paste becomes dry, slip it ott. 




So Profitable Poultry Uaising. 



Directions for Using the Incubator. 

Place the lamp under the boiler, turn on a good 
flame, when the mercury runs up to 100 reduce the 
flame so it can just be seen above the cone of the 
lamp, keep the temperature 103 the first week, 100 the 
second and 98 the third week. It is very easy to 
regulate, provided the temperature of the room is 
not subject to much variation. In case of very cold 
weather, close the ventilators at night and place a 
heavy woolen cover over the whole Incubator. A.s 
the eggs need a certain amount of moisture, thej' 
should be lightly sprinkled with warm water every 
day, or as often as is needed. A good way to ascer- 
tain the amount of heat in the egg chamber is by 
keeping in a small piece of skin of a salt codfish; 
this should never be allowed to get so dry as to crack 
when bending it, nor to be so moist as to become 
wet, but should alwaj'^s be so that you can easily 
bend it. After the fifth day examine all the eggs 
by holding them up to a strong light. It any are 
perfectly clear, remove them, as they are not 
fertile, yet they are just as good for culinary 
purposes. Do not place the eggs in until you have 
secured and are able to keep the right temperature. 
I use a large bracket lamp, and do not have to fill it 
only once in 24 hours. After the sixth day turn 
the eggs daily, which can be done by removing the 
sieves; this will give them an opportunity to cool, 
as in the case of a setting hen off" her nest. After 
the chickens are hatched they remain in the incu- 
bator 24 hours, when they should be removed to the 
artificial mother. 



Profltdble Poultry Raising. 21 




Artificial Mother. 



To provide the artificial heat necessary, several 
devices have been employed — perhaps none better 
than the artificial mother illustrated above. This 
may be made of any capacity required. A very con- 
venient size is one that will accommodate fifty 
chickens until three months old. Two feet wide 



^2 'Profitable Poultry Raising- 



and four feet long, the sides are twelve inches high 
under the glass, sloping to three inches at the back. 
The cover of the back or inclined part should be 
movable, and lined with sheepskin or with pieces 
of flannel cut into strips three inches wide and 
tacked to the underside of lid so as to hang down 
lengthwise with the lid. From the highest part of 
the lid should hang a curtain made of flannel, all 
across the box, and to within a half inch of the 
floor. This keeps the cold air out of their roosting 
place. The front half of the " mother " is covered 
by four panes of glass. This admits the sun. The 
black dots in each peak are intended to represent 
one-inch holes for ventilation. 

An ordinary stone gallon jug (placed beneath 
the lid) fiDed with hot water four or five times a 
day, will furnish all the heat necessary. Feexl little 
and often, and a variety; for the first two days the 
yolk of a hard boiled egg, then coarse Indian meal, 
scalded or baked, occasionally onions, cabbages or 
meat chopped very fine; after a month old cracked 
corn or wheat screenings at night. 



Hatching by Means of Heat Generated in Manure. 

The following ideas are taken from a letter of 
Mr. Keen, of Philadelphia, to a friend. They will 
be found very interesting, and his plan of incuba- 
ting by means of heat generated in manure will be 
very practical with farmers. What a noble work 
for the farmer's boys and girls to busy themselves 
in the beautiful days of spring, taking care of the 



Profitable Poultry Raising- 2S 

thousand chickens any farmer's family may thus 
raise per year at an expense of but a few days' work 
of a hand or the farmer, and all the rest done by the 
little fellows with a richer enjoyment than play. 
Mr. Keen says : 

" This mode will be more useful to the farmer?, 
as they have the material at hand, and the only cost 
attending it would be a little labor to accomplish the 
hatching of eggs to any desired extent. 

" This Mammel (to use the Egyptian name) I will 
give a minute description of, that every farmer may 
build one for himself and be able to perfect the 
hatching of eggs and rearing of chickens without 
the aid of the hen. 

"It is a building 13x16 feet with a tight grooved 
partition dividing It into two apartments, the front 
one seven feet, the other nine feet. In this partition 
are two openings to receive the front end of the 
ovens. These ovens are six and a half feet long, 
two feet two incites wide, nineteen inches high on 
one side and eighteen on the other, in the clear ; back 
end closed and made entire of inch boards; line,] 
with tin sodered water tight, with shutters in two 
equal parts, hung to the bottom and in the middle 
with hinges, and buttons to close the front end. In 
the upper part of the shutter are two sliding valves, 
each four inches by six, to give air and regulate 
the heat. The outside of the ovens and partitions 
should be well coated over with pitch to exclude 
moisture and preserve the wood from decay. The 
ovens should be placed eighteen inches above the 
ground, supported with posts at the back end, and 



^Jl- Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

four feet apart, with an open board partition, the 
boards running up and down, ten inches apart, to 
divide the dung between the ovens, and yet not en- 
tirely separate, so that in renewing the dung of one 
oven the other may not be chilled. There should be 
a window in the back to give air and receive th® 
dung through. The dung should be such as is made 
in a well-litered horse stable, and used, straw and 
dung mixed, and well watered while being thrown 
into a pile, where it is to remain twenty-four hours 
to soak, and admit the redundant water to pass off. 
It should be placed loose around the ovens which 
will not require renewing for two weeks; then only 
renew half the length of the oven at a time, judg- 
ing from the heat when more of it is to be renewed, 
which will be required every week. Tan will 
make a better bed under the oven than dung; the 
heat will last longer. The eg% box four feet long, 
two feet wide and three inches deep, lined with 
baize, ten inches of one end covered with wire to 
keep in the chickens that are just hatched; the 
other part of the box should have a light frame, 
with twine placed between the eggs and attached to 
the frame, to turn all the eggs at one time. The 
egg box rests on a carriage which runs on rails laid 
on the bottom of the oven, with a movable attach- 
ment, to run the carriage entirely out of the oven. 
The egg box turns on a center, to reverse the ends 
in the oven. The carriage is made in two parts; 
the lower part has sash pulleys let into it, to roll on 
the rails; the upper part is connected to the lower 
with lour email bars of iron about eight inches long, 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 25 

with holes for a wood screw in each end, and the 
screw put into the top and bottom, when they lie 
together (which moves like a parallel ruler), and 
confined to different hights by a hook about ten 
inches long, fast to the upper part, and hooking into 
staples driven into a piece of wood running along 
and fastened to the lower part. This arrangement 
is to sustain the egg box at different hights, to suit 
the required degree of heat, which [ have found to 
be as near as it can be kept, to one hundred and four 
degrees, from the first to the last stage of successful 
hatching. My feed room can be made perfectly 
dark. Through one of the doors is a hole one and 
one-fourth inch in diameter, over which is a piece 
of cloth tacked (an inch hole in it) that will exclude 
all the light except what passes through it, where 
can be seen the first progress of the chick, and in 
four days if there is no appearance of the chicken, boil 
it for the young brood. 

'* Next in order is the rearing of chickens with- 
out the aid of a mother. In the basement of the 
first named building, on a level with the top of the 
Eccalobeon, is a platform four feet by seven, with a 
slide to open in fine weather into a small yard ; also 
one to open into a box with wire front (over the 
Eccalobeon), which is moderately heated from a 
small stove; in this box is an artificial mother 
made of rabbit skins, (I have also one made of the 
skins of fowls,) hung about two inches from the 
bottom, where the chicks are first placed; in three 
or four days they are let into an adjoining apart- 
ment, where there is a sheepskin mother; over 



^S Profitable Poultry Raising. 



this is anotlier, with a sheepskin raised higher at 
Oiie end tlian the other, for chickens furtlier 
advanced to run under, with a small yard attached. 
In the ghiss building is a platform sixteen feet by 
four, about four feet above the ground floor, for 
chickens still further advanced, with a yard to it. 
They are next shut out from this apartment and run 
with the full grown fowls. 

"All these apartments will accommodate about 
five hundred chickens of the ditferenc ages. This 
mode of hatchingand rearing them is attended with 
less than half the loss that usually takes plaice when 
hatched and reared bj'^ the hen. With regard to the 
feed for the first two or three meals, I give grated 
stale wheat bread, laid on a sanded floor; next, I 
give bread boiled ir milk, and while hot, mix. coarse 
ground Indian meal with it, making it nearly dry. 
For the other fowls, I give wheat screenings and 
whole corn, with once a week boiled meat. 

"' It will here be seen that I have made the man- 
agement of eggs as plain and simple as Cap. Cooke 
did ' when he stood one on its point.' " 



Instructions for Construcling the Excelsior lucu- 
bator. 



Take two boards, each 4 feet long, 6 inches wide 
and 1 inch thick, and two boards each 2 feet 10 inches 
long, 6 inches wide and 1 inch thick, and nail the 
ends together firmly, and you have the sides of a 
box 4 feet long, 3 feet wide and 6 inches high. 

Now cover the top of this box with boards 1 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 27 

inch thick, plowed and groved, or matched, so that 
they will fit closely together. Then for the bottom 
take a piece ot zinc 4 feet long and 3 feet wide and 
nail securely with two rows of small nails, for the 
bottom of the box. This makes a box 4 feet long, 

3 feet wide and 6 inches high, with a zinc bottom. 
This box is called the heater. 

Next make the e,g% drawer, by taking two pieces 

4 feet long, 4 inches wide and \}4. inches thick, and 
and two pieces Sk inches long, 5 inches wide and 
1^^ inches thick, nail these together, making the 
sides of the ^.g^ drawer, 4 feet long and 2 feet 1\}4. 
inches wide; then cnt 23 slats 35>^ inches long and 
1 inch square, and nail the 23 slats on the bottom of 
this drawer 1 inch apart. These slats are the bot- 
tom of the egg drawer. 

Now this makes a drawer 4 feet long, 2 feet M W 
inches wide and 5 inches high on the outside, and 
4 inches deep in the inside, with a slat bottom. 

Now take a -piece of wool sack, coffee sack, or 
some other coarse, strong material, 4 feet long, 2 
feet 8 inches wide, draw it tightly over the top of 
these slats and tack to the slats and ends of the 
drawer. 

Now cut out of good timber two slats 3 Teet 7 
inches long, 1 inch wide and half an inch thick, 
and two slats 32 inches long and 1 inch square, mor- 
tise the ends of the two half inch thick slats into the 
ends of the inch square slats, making a frame 3 feet 
7 inches long and 32 inches wide; take good heavy 
muslin and draw it very tight, especially length- 
ways over this frame, and tack it on solid, lay this 



28 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 



frame, muslin side down, on the coarse cloth in the 
eg^ drawer. On this muslin the eggs are to lie. 

Next cut 20 stats 2 feet 11 inches long and half 
an inch square, then bore 20 holes half an inch in 
diameter, in each side of the egg drawer, for the 
20 slats to go in ; these 20 slats should be 1% inches 
apart, so the eggs can lie between the slats, and the 
slats should be down just as close to tbe frame with 
the muslin on as can ]>e, to allow the muslin frame 
to be moved easily between these 20 slats and the 
slats that make the bottom of the e.g^ draw^er, then 
place the eggs between the 20 half inch slats on the 
muslin cloth, then, by moving this muslin frame 2 
inches back or forward, you turn the eggs half over 
or bottom side up. 

Next take two boards 4 feet long, 8 incbes wide 
and 1 inch thick, and two boards 2 feet and 10 inches 
long, 8 inches wide and 1 inch thick, nail these to- 
gether, making the sides of a box 4 feet long, 3 feet 
wide and 8 inches high, being similar in shape to 
the heater, except 2 inches higher, 

Nail on a bottom of plowed and grooved boards 
1 inch thick. Now bore 12 holes In different parts 
of this bottom, half an inch in diameter, and get 12 
pieces of tin pipe, 7 inches long and half an inch 
in diameter, and put in each of the 12 holes. They 
should extend up above the bottom 6 inches. These 
are the ventilators. Now fill this box containing 
the ventilators with saw dust, brand or sand, about 
5 inches deep, or up to within 1 inch of the top of 
the ventilators. Mind, this box has a bottom but 
no top. Now set the egg drawer on top of the ven- 



Profltahie Poultry Raising* 29 

tilator box, and then on top of the egg drawer set 
the heater. 

Now we want to arrange these boxes so the egg 
drawer can be slid out and in, and the other boxes 
maintain their position. To do this, take two boards, 
each four feet long, V2 inches wide, 1 inch thick. 
Nail one of these boards on each side of the heater 
and the ventilator box, driving the nails into the 
heater and ventilator, but be sure an 1 drive no nails 
into the egg drawer, as it should slide out and in 
freely between the heater and ventilator. Having 
got these boards nailed solid, cut another board 3 
leet long, 12 inches wide and 1 inch thick, and nail 
to the heater and ventilator, on the back end. Now 
the heater and ventilator are connected on two sides 
and one end, ot course the other end must be left 
open for the egg drawer to slide out. The bottom 
of the Incubator is now protected by the 6 inches 
of saw dust that is in the ventilator box. We now 
want to protect the two sides, the back end and the 
top with 8 inches of saw dust. To do this, take 
two pieces of scantling 4 feet and four inches long, 
lay them down and set the Incubator on them, so 
that the scantling will extend out 8 inches on each 
side of the Incubator. See that the scantlings do 
not cover any or the ventilator holes in the bottom 
of the Incubator. 

Now take two boards 4 feet and 8 inches long, 8 
inches wide, and lay one on each side of the Incu- 
bator on these scantlings for a bottom to the saw- 
dust box, which will surround the Incubator. 
Then, by taking a board 4 feet long and 8 inches 



so ProfitahU Poultry Raisini. 

wide and laying it across the back end of the Incu- 
bator, letting it rest on the ends of the two side bot- 
tom boards which extend back, the bottom of the 
saw dust box will be complete. 

Xovv you want to make one end and two sides 
of a box to set on this bottom, the side? should be 
4 feet 8 inclies long and 20 inches higli, an<l at tlie 
end 4 feet 8 inches long and 20 inches liigh. Now 
set this box on the bottom already made and nail It 
securely, and with two boards 20 inclies long and 8 
inches wide you can close up the fioiit end of the 
box. 

Now by aking a board 4 feet long and 8 inches 
wide, you close the top of the end of the saw dust 
box. This now makes a box within a box, with a 
space 8 inches wide between the sides and the back 
end, which is to be tilled with saw dust. 

Now go to a tin shop and get two pipes made, 
take a lamp chimney with you and get the pipes 
made to suit your chimney, so you cm slip the lamp 
chimne} up in the pipe tight. A pipe '2% inches in 
diameter is a common size. The pipe should be 12 
inches long, then an elbow, then inches more pipe, 
get two pipes with an L atone end. 

Now make a hole the size of your pipe in the 
outside, or saw dust box 8 inches from the front end 
and 10 inches trom the top, and make a hole the 
same size in tl.e heater, 8 inches from the front end 
and 2 inches from the top; then slide the 12 inch 
part of the pipe through the hole in tlie saw dust 
box into the hole in the heater, leaving the elbow 
and the inch part of the pipe on the outside of the 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 31 

saw dust box, and G inch pipe pointing down, for 
the lamp chimney to be put in. Then put the other 
pipe in the same way, in the opposite hind corner. 
These pipes shouh] be seamed togetlier, as soldering 
will melt. Then light your lamps and push the 
chimney as far up in the pipe as you can without 
making them smoke. If the lamps smoke, lower 
them a little, that some air may pass around the 
chimney. Two lamps should keep up the proper 
heat in the coldest weather. 

After putting the pipes in till the saw dust box 
with saw dust even full, but right around the tin 
pipes instead of putting saw dust be sure and put 
earih, a< the saw «iust migh^ get atire. A little 
box nailed to the outside of the dust box to cover 
the tin pipe and elbow, and filled with earth, would 
save much heat. Now your Incubator has G inches 
of saw dust underneath the eggs in the ventilator 
box and 8 inches on the top. This makes such a 
l)erfect protection that a change of 40 degrees in the 
temperature of your Incubator room will not make 
more than two degrees change inside the Incuba- 
tor. He sure and get a good thermometer, lay it in 
the front end of the egg drawer with the top end 
slightly raised; it should be one inch higher than 
the bottom end. Let the lower end of the ther- 
mometer point toward the back end of the egg 
drawer, then by pulling out the egg drawer four or 
five inches you can see in a few seconds how the 
temperature is. Torches such as a»e used duiing 
political campaigns make good Incubator lamps by 
putting common lamp burners on them. 



3^ Profitahie Poultry Raising. 

Now get six pipes, % of an inch in diameter 
and 15 inches long. Bore six holes in the top of 
the heater, 3 on each side opposite to where the 
heating pipes enter the heater. Bore first hole 3 
inches from the corner, the second 3 inches from 
the first and 3 inches from the outside; the third 
12 inches from the second and 3 inches from the 
outside. Then put the other three the same way 
on the other side. Then put in the pipes and slide 
them down to within half an inch of the zinc bot- 
tom. If the zinc bottom is too loose, bore a hole in 
the center of the top of the heater, and punch a 
hole, the size of the bolt you will use, in the zinc 
directly below, and tighten up the burr until the 
zinc will not flop up and down any when the drawer 
is moved. Then by moving the drawer out slowly 
and steadily, so as not to jar ihe eggs, the lamp will 
not trouble. Make the egg drawer so as to slide 
out smoothly and easily. 

This Incubator, as above described, will con- 
tain 250 eggs. It should be made G feet long and 
4 feet wide, the same otherwise, to hold 500 eggs, 
but remember that two Incubators that hold 250 
eggs is much better than one that holds 500 eggs. 
This Incubator is just as good a one as there is 
made, for people who do not wish to travel and ex_ 
hibit their machine, anyone can make it and anyone 
can use it. 



Dust Bath. 



By instinct all birds are taught the need of a 
dust or water bath for their well-being. They 



Profitable Poultry Raising- SS 

choose a sheltered and sunny spot of fine, dry soil, 
in which they open their feathers and fill them with 
dust, which, applied often enough and in sufficient 
quantities, is death to all parasites which invest the 
plumage or skin. As the domestic fowl is not a na- 
tive of a cold climate, it becomes necessary for us to 
supply the deficiency which exists during our win- 
ter season. This is readily accomplished by the 
dust box, which every one who has fowls should 
provide. Fine road dust, coal ashes, sand, pulver- 
ized loam, or clay even, are all very good, and with 
a sprinkling of flour of sulphur, constitutes as good 
a bath as can be desired. This should be placed in 
a sunny exposure of the room and kept dry and 
clean, so that the fowls may enjoy its benefits when 
they choose. 

When poultry is kept in a yard, it is best to dig 
up a small corner occasionally, to let them hunt for 
worms and beetles, and then sow it in oats and corn 
and lettuce. 



Clipping Wings. 



Clipping one wing of fowls to prevent their fly- 
ing is a necessary operation sometimes, but never 
necessarily disfiguring. It generally is, however, 
since the farmer's shears almost always makes a 
clean sweep of all the quills, and an ugly wing is 
the result. Besides the ugliness, there are also 
other disadvantages in such a sweeping operation, 
A sitting hen uses the outer end of her wing to re- 
tain the eggs under her in place, and those near the 



«?^ Profitable Poultry ttaisin^- 

body protect the skin being torn by her mate's 
claws. The proper way is to trim the feathers part- 
ly off with a pair of scissors, except about one inch 
at the end. It shows but little when the wing is 
clo ed and does not disfigure the fowl, but lets the 
wind through, so as to prevent flying. 

Keep a shelter in the yard to protect your birds 
from the sun and rain. 



The Egg. 

It is for the most part composed of albuminous 
matters and oils and fats, together with fibrin, phos- 
phorous, sulphur, iron, etc., in small but appreci- 
able quantities. An egg is a potential chicken. 
The hatching process adds nothing to the egg, but 
only developes the chicken from the substance al- 
ready there. Thus, in an egg there is a material 
for bones, flesh, brains, nerves, feathers, and all the 
organs of life. Hence egg production, considered 
physiologically, is an exhaustive process, when 
hens lay regularly and constantly. Furthermore, 
the shells of eggs are composed almost exclusively 
of carbonate of lime. When a hen lays freely she 
requires a supply of the raw material trom wliich 
to secrete this carbonate, and it should be furnished 
her at all times. Is it any wonder, then, that hens, 
as they are ordinarily kept, do not lay in winter? 
Their food must contain the materials from which 
they secrete eggs, or they cannot lay. Probably 
nine-tenths of all the poultry in tiie country is fed 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 85 

on whole, raw corn. We know that corn contains 
all the elementary substances that eggs do, but in 
very much smaller quantities, bulk for bulk, and 
when a hen has no other food she cannot eat enough 
to afford the materials for an ^g% a day, or every 
other day. She will get fat and lazy but cannot 
la5^ Hence the necessity for a variety of ^iet. In 
summer, when at liberty, the hens can find the va- 
riety of food that suits them, and generally lay well 
without much care; but in winter they can get 
only what is given them, and generally they do 
not lay. But if we know the wants of the hens, 
and supply them, we may have as many eggs in 
winter as in summer. Poultry are large consum- 
ers of grass when they can get it, and to keep in 
good health they must have it, or its equivalent, in 
winter. Cabbage or boiled vegetables of any kind 
are good substitutes. Grass, if cut green and care- 
fully dried in the shade, when cut fine and steeped 
awhile in hot water, is nearly as good as green 
grass, and is eagerly eaten in winter. Besides 
gra.<s, or its equivalent, we must give a supply of 
lime. Oyster shells, when they can be had, are the 
most convenient; when they cannot be had, ordi- 
nary stone lime from the kilns will do as well, after 
it has been slacked, but gravel must be supplied 
with the latter. 



Charcoal and Lime. 



These two articles play a very important part 
in the management of fowls, whether bred in a fan- 



^& Profitable Poultry liaising. 

cier's yard or on a farm. Charcoal should be liber- 
ally fed, tor no one thing is more conducive to 
health than this. It should be broken into small 
lumps and put where the fowls can ^et at it, and 
they will eat it with great relish. We liave seen it 
led to pigs with the very best results; and those 
whicli^were treated to it were never troiibled with 
disease or sickness, while neigliboring ones were. 
This helps to prove its value not only for swine but 
for fowls. Where the birds are kept in confine- 
ment, it is a good plan to keep a trough in a shel- 
tered place, full of small bits of fresh charcoal, and 
the fowls will soon learn to help themselves. The 
value of lime in the shape of whitewash is well 
known, and those who use it liberally are the ones 
who keep their flocks healthy and cleanly. To ren- 
der whitewash more ettective in dislodging, driving 
away or destroying lice and other parasite nuis- 
ances, the addition of a little carbolic acid is inval- 
uable, for scarcely anything else seems so distaste- 
ful to the vermin. Air-slacked lime should be occa- 
sionally scattered over the floor of the chicken- 
house to remove unpleasant and unhealthy odors, 
while a little of it should be scattered around the 
yard and runs. For material for egg-shells, oyster- 
shells and lime is the best for this purpose. — Ameri- 
can Stockman. 



Save None But the Best. 



Whatever variety the breeder may cultivate he 
will find every season among both his old and young 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 37 

stock specimens that have failed or do not come up 
to the average points of the rest of the flock, and 
far below standard requirements, either in plum- 
age, sjanmetry, size, shape, and many other quali- 
ties. This showing year after year seems to be un- 
avoidable where a large number are raised annu- 
ally, and this is the experience of every breeder 
with all known breeds. Save none but the best is 
very expensive, and should be understood clearly, 
however. And we suggest that while the breeder 
aims to attaining perfection in the selection and 
breeding of the very best specimens continuously, 
he should have for his object the survival of the 
fittest in his yard, and this can be accomplished by 
the slaughtering process to good account, inasmuch 
as the work may be made to pay him fairly by it- 
self, while he is getting rid of the birds which are 
a drawback to his efforts towards a higher perfec- 
tion among his selected breeding stock. Now if 
the fancier in breeding a hundred fowls of any given 
variety finds but a score of cockerels and pullets 
which come up to the standard requirements, the 
other eighty should be culled and sold for consump- 
tion. And altogether this may appear a large pro- 
portion to be consigned to the b'.ock, nevertheless it 
is best in the end, provided the breeder aims at 
reputation in the future for raising the best stock 
birds; for the score selected as breeders and exhi- 
bition birds are worth more to him than ten times 
the nominal value of the culls, if he desires to sell 
them or retain them for himself, and out of these 
perfect specimens he may the next year produce a 



B8 Projitahle Poultry Raising. 

largely increased percentage of superior fowls over 
the average of the past season. — Poultry Journal. 

• ♦ • 

Poultry on the Farm. 

Farming is made up of many home industries, and 
to neglect poultry as one of the sources of income is 
poor economy. At certain seasons, when most of 
the other farm products are disposed of, eggs and 
early broilers in the spring, summer, and roasters 
in the fall, are in the aggregate quite an item, and 
may furnish all the supplies needed. We have al- 
ways maintained that the farming class have facili- 
ties and advantages over the ordinary village poul- 
terer in the way of range and keeping them cheap- 
ly at all seasons of the year. It costs very little to 
keep a flock of fowls on the farm. They usually 
provide the greater share of their own living from 
the stable, the orchard, the stubble field and the 
straw stack. The grain and seed which they pick 
up, if left unmolested, would be of no earthly use 
to the farmer, and the worms, grubs and insects 
which they destroy would injure his growing crops, 
vines, fruit trees, etc. 



Poultry Raising as a Business. 

There is just now much interest in poultry 
raising, and a disposition to take it up on a large 
scale. The following extract from one of our re- 
cent letters will give an idea of the many inquiries 
made of us ; "Is poultry ruising a profitable- b«§i- 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 39 

ness, and would you advise a j'-oung man to invest 
one thousand dollars in it?" This might be an- 
swered in brief: Poultry is profitable, but we 
would not advise a young man (nor an old one) to 
at once invest one thousand dollars in it. Farmers 
find the poultrj'^ yard the most profitable part of 
the farm, in proportion to the capital invest' d. 
Many reckon in this way : If fifty fowls are profit- 
able, five hundred will be ten times as profitable. 
This is an instance in which figures do not tell the 
truth. As soon as the number of fowls is doubled, 
troubles are quadrupled. A range and houses 
which will keep fifty in perfect health will be over- 
crowded with one h>indred,and all the troublesdue 
to a dense population will follow. While we be- 
lieve that poultr}^ keeping on a large Fcale may be 
made profitable, capital to purchase birds and build 
houses is not the only thing needful. Those who 
undertake the business must give their whole time 
and attention to it. One point is settled — fowls can- 
not be kept together in large numbers and thrive. 
The whole matter requires careful study and expe- 
riment. The beginner should start in a small way 
and increase as success seems to warrant it. 



Eggs aud Chicks. 



Eggs should be regularly collected every daj^ 
The wide-awake fancier can often learn to disti i- 
guish the eggs of individual hens, and when this is 
possible it is very desirable. Thereby, when it is 
desired to set a hen, the eggs can be retained only 



^0 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 



from the finest hens or those that are the best lay- 
ers. Hens of the lajang breed will lay 150 to 250 
eggs per annum ; common hens average about 100 
eggs per head. Every nest mustalwaj'^s have a nest 
ef^^ (white china is the best), as it prevents the hens 
from laying away. Hard-shell eggs are al ways pre- 
ferable, and hence it must be seen that the hens 
have constant access to shell-forming material. It 
is not best to give them this in the form of broken 
^^^ shells, as they may from that acquire the un- 
profitable habit of eating their own eggs. The cure 
recommended, if the habit is detected early, is to 
place in the nest an egg shell fille \ with the strong- 
est mustard, mixed rather thick. AVe often have 
inquiries as to whether eggs for hatching can be 
sent safely by express for long distances. We an- 
swer, unhesitatingly, Yes! We have sent eggs 
hundreds of miles by express, and had 11 and 13 to 
hatch out of a clutch (13). And again, we have sent 
eggs equally as far and had none to hatch; then the 
purchaser, if he is a novice, is apt to think himself 
swindled, and write a very un gentlemanly letter. 
There is, of course, always some risk in transporta- 
tion, but there are many other reasons why the 
eggs will someHmes fail to hatch, whether sent by 
express or set at home. When eggs are ordered 
from a distance a setting hen should be in readiness 
to receive them as soon as they arrive. If none of 
the hens are ready a brood hen can always be 
bought at a low figure from some neighboring 
farmer, or '* swapped " for a laying hen. To make 
the hen take to her new riest she should be changed 



Profhtahle Poultry Raising. Jf,l 

at nisjht, and it should be as nearly as possible like 
the old nest. She should tirst be given some china 
eggs until she settles down quietly to incubation. 
The period of incubation is twenty-one days. Right 
here we might say that to preserve the eggs for 
family use, the best plan recommended in WrighVs 
Poultry Book is to pack them closely together and 
keep tightly covered up in a mixture prepared as 
follows : 

" To four gallons of boiling water add half a peck 
of new lime, stirring it some little time. When 
cold, remove any hard lumps by a coarse sieve, add 
ten ounces of salt and three ounces of cream of tar- 
tar, and mix the whole strongly. The mixture is 
then to be let stand to temper, for a fortnight, be- 
fore use. Thus treated, if put in when newly laid, 
at nine months after they will eat quite as good as 
though only laid six days, though, of course not 
quite like new laid." 

liens should \;>e set in the evening, and should 
be fui-nished with comfortable nests in a dark and 
unmolested spot. The nest should be made flat 
Ovhen very concave the egjjjs do not lay so well), 
and is best made out of an inverted sod, or three 
layers of dry earth or ashes, with straw, hay, or 
forest leaves placed thereon. Thirteen eggs are the 
best number covered by average hens. But in cold 
weather eleven, or even nine or seven— according 
to the size of the hens and eggs — are amply suffi- 
cient. A larger number would only become chilled. 
The hen should be taken off the nest (if she does 
not go off of her own accord) for food, water, brief 



4^ Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

exercise and a ^oo(\ dusting. Do not, as a rule, re- 
move the young cliiekeiis until twenty-four liours 
;.fter all are hatched. Occasionally one may need 
some assistance to get from the shell. This should 
be given cautiously, and only in extreme cases, by 
gently indenting the finger into tlie siiell (without 
touching the inside niembrance), in a circle from 
where it is clipped. When the cliicks are hatched 
the mother should be i)laced in a coop about two or 
three feet square, placed on the ground and with 
slats in the fiour, through which the chicks can run 
out and receive food. Young chicks should always 
be kept dry and where they can get plentj^ of sun- 
light. It must be remembered that fowls attain 
their growth in from four to eight months, and can 
never make up for any " back-sets " in that period. 
Feed regularly and often until five or six weeks 
old, at first with cooked meat and hard-boiled eggs 
mixed. Give fine-chopped green food, and let them 
have the benefit of a grass run. The floor of the 
chickens' coop should always be kept clean and free 
from vermin by a fresh supply of dry dirt. Chicks 
should always be kept growing while young. If 
intended for marketing they should be forced and 
marketed early ; spring chickens pay the best by 
all odds. For breeders, however, it is not neces- 
sary to hatch the chicks too early, as those hatched 
in milder weather require less care, grow better, 
and are fully as profitable. Asiatics, however, in- 
tended for fall shows, should be hatched by the 
first of March. April, May and June, however, are 
the best months for hatching fowls intended for 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 4^ 

breeders. After tire first few days a bit of meat can 
be chopped with the food once a day. Soft food 
should be fed fresh very often — only so much each 
time as is entirely consumed. A little bone meal 
should be added to the food. A'ter tlie ch.cks are 
two or three weeks old the evening meal can con- 
sist of cracked corn and wheat, or good screenings. 
Chicks should always have a grass run; if deprived 
of this green food must be furnished to them daily. 
Chopped cabbage leaves are highly relished by 
them. A plentiful supply of pure, fresh water must 
be constantly at hand, [n winter the chicks require 
more stimulating food than in summer. Beef scraps 
can be boiled and mixed with the soft food. If the 
chicks have been liberally fed they will be in prime 
condition lor the table without any extra fatting. 
Growiug chicks must always have plenty of exer- 
cise, and should not be crowded together in too close 
quarters. In raising fowls for market, as a rule, 
the chicks should be killed as soon as ready, cer- 
tainly as soon as they have attained full size, as then 
better prices are generally procured than later in 
the season. The food afterwards led is, therefore, 
worse than wastd. Besides this, there is consid- 
erable risk from disease in holding a large lot of 
poultry. In breeding fancy fowls the young chicks 
that turn out inferior, ''culls" or ''scrubs," as 
commonly called (and alas! even the best strains 
will sometimes throw these despised and ought-to- 
be-rejected specimens), should be marked as soon 
as distinguishable, at from three to six months old'. 
Don't be afraid to kill your poor chickens; it is the 



JfJf. Profitable Poultry Raising. 

on\y wa}^ to ultimate success. If all are killed thit 
year there will be tevver next year. 



Havanua 3Iethod of Preserving: Eggs. 



Put into a barrel 24 i^allons of water, 12 pounds 
iinslaeke 1 white lime, 4 pounds of salt, let settle 
until clear, then draw off 20 gallons of the clear 
liquid. Tlien take 5 ounces of baking soda, 5 
ounces of borax, 1 ounce of alum, 1 ounce taitar, 
pulverize, mix and dissolve in one gallon of boiling 
water and pour it into your 20 gallons of liquid; 
put the liquid into a whisky barrel or coal oil bar- 
rel which has been previously burned out. This 
will hold 150 dozen eggs. Let the water stand 
about one inch over the eggs, then spread an old 
cloth on top of the ^%';:,a and put a bucket or two of 
the lime settlings on it. Do not let the cloth hang 
over the edge of the barrel. After being in the 
liquid 30 days, the eggs may be taken out and piled 
in boxes in a dark room or packed ready for ship- 
j)ing — but it is customary to let the eggs remain in 
the liquid until ready to ship. Do not nse the 
pickle but once. You can put in a lew dozen at a 
time, but always keep the eggs covered with the 
liquid: as the water evaporates put in more. Put 
in none but fresh eggs. A dry cellar is the best 
place to pack eggs. 



The Haws Egg Compound. 

Use clean barrels or tank, free from all smell. 
Dissolve 5 pounds of salt, 15 pounds of unslacked 



Profijtahle Poultry Raising. Ji,5 

lime, I pound of cream of tart:ir, 1 ounce saltpeter, 
4 ounces of soda, and 4 ounces of borax, mix in 16 
o:allons of water. Let it stand two or three days, 
stirring frequently. Drop the eggs in carefully 
with a ladle, until the brine is full. Do not move 
the barrel alter the eggs are in. Cover the barrel 
and keep in a cellar or cool place. It the brine 
evaporates add lime water. Do not allow eggs to 
i-emain out of brine. 



To Preserve Eggs. 

Place the eggs in a close box, burn some sul- 
phur in the box and shut it up tight. Let it remain 
closed half an hour, then put the eggs away dry. 
They will keep for six or eight months. This is 
the celebrated ozone ( I) proces^s. To preserve fruits 
or vegetables, put a jar of water in the box with the 
fruit. Burn sulphur, close tightly, let remain 
closed for half an hour, then put the fruit in the 
jar of water, cover with a piece of paper and stow 
away. To preserve meat, omit water. Take it out 
of box and hang up dry. It will keep months. So 
will tish. No taste of sulphur aftects it, as cooking 
liberates it, it being a gas in this form. 



Keep the Chickens Growiug. 

It is a mistaken policy to stint young (owls of 
rich food, and plenty of it is what they need; and 
no danger of overfeeding if they are growing and 
have their liberty. Old fowls that have their 



JfB Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

growth and are sliut up, can easily be fed too much, 
but do not fail to feed the young ones all they will 
eat. A good feed of whole grain of some kind, just 
as late in the evening as they can see to eat it, is 
one of the means of making fine stock. Also g ve 
them a plentiful breakfast of soft tood early in the 
morning. Let no food lie on the groujid, or anj'^- 
thing that will sour; it will be very likely to make 
the little chicks sick. A few cents' worth of food, 
given at the proper season to a tine bird, may make 
several dollars difference in the price when you 
come to sell. It takes a certain quantity of food to 
keep up the waste of sustai ing animal life; so 
every ounce of food properly digested, in addition 
to their actual requirements, goes to increase the 
fowl. Remember this, and never neghct the grow- 
ing stock. Time lost h< re can never be regained. 
Xeglect the little chicks and you will surely see the 
effects of the neglect in the mature fowl. 

Artificial nest eggs may be prepared very sim- 
ply by breaking a small hole in the round end of 
an ordinary Qg%, removing tlie contents and filling 
the shell with plaster paris, sufficiently moistened 
with water as to be easily poured into the shell; 
after it liardens paste a piece of white paper over 
the hole, or the hens will peck out the plaster 
paris and destroy the e^g. It is easily made, and 
will last a long lime. It is advisable to always 
have such nest eggs, and fowls will not acquire the 
habit of eating their eggs; hens are also less liable 
to wander oft" and hide their nests when plenty of 
nest eggs are placed in the nests. 



Profttable Poultry Raising* Ji!7 



Egsr Production in America. 



Altliough these United States are so rich in 
grail), mineral, Inniber and the difterent commer- 
cial productions, the first among which ma^^ be 
placed the raising of cattle, etc., yet they are 
obliged to send to Europe for a part of the necessary 
quantity of eggs t? meet the demand, a thing almost 
impossible to believe, yet it is unfortunately but 
too true, I could hardly believe it, until I had re- 
ceived it irom the Hon. Ed. Younds, Chief of the 
Bureau of the Government Statistics at Washing- 
ton — several reports'of which, unfortunately, are 
too sparse. y scattered through the States — and one 
of these reports shows me that there was imported 
into the United Stares during a period of eleven 
months in 1872, 5,025,958 dozens of eggs, worth 
,$688,796, and during the same time in 1873, 5,467,- 
264 dozens, and worth $732,234. The increase is 
again repeated in previous years, not necessary to 
enumerate, for it would make these statistics weari- 
some. 

So it can easily be seen that there is no danger 
of overstocking the markets, and I firmly believe 
that the consumers would rather have their eggs 
fresh than coming trom Europe, as the voyage 
would not improve their flavor. After having read 
these figures, that so lucrative a business is not more 
generally followed and better managed; why poul- 
try does not take its place among other industries 
and occupy that rank which it ought to among other 
commercial affairs is, that the thing is too simple; 



Jf8 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

and if I was to tell a father with two sons to teach 
them a trade of some sort, he would very likely re- 
ply that they may be doctors or lawyers. If 1 was 
to ask him the question : '' Have you an}'^ forture, or 
have your sons any disposition for those profes- 
sions? lie would reply : " Not much ; and I do not 
know if they are so inclined." And suppose I 
had added tlie advice: " Have them tan^lit the art 
of raising poultry," I should make that man my 
enemy, and ho miojht ask me if I took him for a 
madman. Don't get angry, my friend,! might justly 
say, for it is not every one who can raise poultry 
with profit. 



Plymouth Rocks. 

Among the manj^ fine breeds of domestic fowls 
raised noW-a-days by poultrymen generally, the 
Plymouth Rocks appear to hold a ver}'^ prominent 
position. This fowl is compar^.tively new, having 
originated by crossing the Dominique cock with 
Black Java hens, and keeping on breeding the 
progen}^ of this cross until uniformity was secured ; 
the color, hardiness, and other good qualities of the 
former being preserved with the important addi- 
tion of an increase in size. The Plymouth Rocks 
are yearly becoming more popular as their merits 
become known, the demand keeping pace with the 
supply. They are a good sized fowl, dress well, 
and fill a void between the Asiatics and the- smaller 
breeds. When well bred they are comely, and can- 
not help but prove attractive to the farmer, mer- 



Profitable Poultry Raising. Jf9 

chant, mechanic, and others who do not belong to 
the fancy. The Plymouth Rocks may be consid- 
ered a "general purpose breed," well adapted to 
the practical poulterer as well as the novice. They 
are very hardy, easily reared, mature early and at- 
tain large size. The hens are good layers and an 
excellent table fowl. In their case, therefore, there 
is no need of keeping two breeds to obtain a good 
share of eggs and acceptable broilers and roasters. 
They are also a clean legged fowl, their combs and 
wattles of moderate size and not likely to become 
frozen when Jack Frost puts in an appearance. 
They are good layers, if provided with comfortable 
quarters and the proper kind of food. The pullets 
lay at an early age, on account of rapid develop- 
ment; being early maturing they attain their 
growth and are ready for market sooner than any 
other large breed. A nice spring chicken will sell 
for as much money as a full-grown fowl, and in this 
is one of the chief merits of the Plymouth Rocks. 
— Poultry World. 



Douglas Mixture. 



Take of sulphate of iron (common copperas) 8 
ounces, sulphuric acid 3^' fluid ounce, put into a bot- 
tle or jug one gallon of water, into this put the sul- 
phate of iron. As soon as the iron is dissolved add 
the acid, and when it is clear the mixture is ready 
tor use. This mixture is to be given in the drink- 
ing water every two or three days. A gill for every 
25 head. If there are any symptoms of disease it 



oO Profttahte Poultry Raising. 



should be given every day. This is one of the best 
tonics known to the poultry fraternity. 



Buckeye Egg Cure. 



Buckwheat, 8 quarts; Indian corn, well parched, 
8 quarts; oil cake, or meal, 8 quarts; oats, well 
parched, 8 quarts; Egyptian rice corn, or wheat, 8 
quarts. Grind all together, then mix the oil cake 
in and add one pint slacked lime, 1 pint ground 
bone, tablespoonsfull of common salt, 5 table- 
spoonsful capsicum. Put all tlie above ingredients 
together and thoroughly mix. This will make about 
two bushels of feed after being ground. Cook as 
much of this feed as your fowls will eat at one 
time, and feed it in the morning, warm. Do not 
put in too much water that the feed will be sloppy, 
but have it dry enough that when thrown down it 
will not break apart. Feed this food two or three 
times a week, and not oftener, for remember the 
feed is very strong. 



Atlantic Egg Food and Condition Powder. 

Take 4 pounds ground dry meat; 2 pounds 
ground bone, 1 pound oyster shells, one-half pound 
of salt, one-half pound of ground cinamon, ginger, 
or black pepper (any kind of spice will answer). 
Mix the above thoroughly. Now mix in a separate 
dish one ounce each of sulpur, copperas, bread 
soda, saltpetre, ground saffron, asafoetida and hypo- 
sulphite of soda. When these are well mixed add 



profitable Poultry Raising- 51 



to the above, well mixing the whole. Now parch 
2 pounds of ground oats and 2 pounds cracked corn, 
mix, and add to the above. You will then have 
about 15 pounds of poultry food, at a cost of about 
50 cents. If the fowls are in good health the saf- 
fron and asafa3tida may be omitted. Feed a table- 
spoonful daily to each fowl. 



Young Turkeys. 

The best preventive for sickness in these birds, 
as well as to help them through the red, is to mix 
finely cut onions or chives in their food, which 
ought to consist of Indian meal mixed with either 
water or milk, but small potatoes boiled and mashed 
with plenty of pepper may be used with raw onions 
chopped fine instead. 



To Insure Success, Observe the Following Rules. 

Keep your fowl houses clean and well venti- 
lated, but do not allow any draft to strike your 
roosting places. 

Feed little and often of sound grain ; give your 
fowls a variety of food during the day ; at night 
always feed w.hole corn. 

Have your drinking vessels washed every morn- 
in**", and keep them full of clean water every day; 
in winter, give warm water; in summer, give a 
fresh supply two or three times a day. 

Always keep a box of crushed oyster shelU 
where the fowls can get at it. 



S2 Profitable Poultry Raising, 



Never trust your birds to the care of another, 
no one but the owner can appreciate their wants and 
attend to the little de'ails, which are all important. 

Always separate the sick fowls from the well 
ones, as most of the diseases of fowls are conta- 
gious. 

Use kerosene oil freely on, the roostin«i; perches 
once a week— this prevents the accumulation of lice 
in the poultry house, and the fumes of the oil per- 
meates the feathers of the fowls at nij^htand drives 
the vermin from their bodies. Whitewash the in- 
terior of the coop every three months or oftener. 
The following receipt for making a wash is the best 
1 have seen : To a pail of whitewash add one pint 
of crude carbolic acid; make a starch of a pound 
of flotir and mix while it is hot; apply this freely 
to every part of the hou e. For outside work omit 
the carbolic acid and add a teaspoon ful of salt and a 
pound of rice boiled in two quarts of water. 

Permit all your hens, so inclined, to sit and 
hatch one brood in the year. It is better for the 
fowls, and you will thus get just as many eggs from 
them in twelve months as if you bothered your 
brains "to break them up." 

Keep but one kind at tirst of whatever kind you 
may fancy. When you can breed that well, try 
something else, if you get tired of this. But don't 
venture upon too much in the " variety line," at the 
commencement, or you will tail with all. 

Don't attempt to raise five hundred birds within 
limits fitting the needs of five dozen or less. Crowd- 
ing fowls into close quarters will breed thousands 
of lice, but precious few chickens, remember. 



Profitcible Poultry Raising. 58 

Dont't try to breed too many varieties at once. 
You will succeed better with one or two in the be- 
ginning. 

The best plan for all bieeders is to raise chick- 
ens every season to be layers of the next year, and 
kill off all the old stock. 

Rats are great enemies to chickens, and often 
they have their seasons of carnage and destruction 
before they are found out. 

The poulterer who expects to make profits on 
the poultry he habitually neglects, has expectations 
that will never be realized. 

It is well to introduce fresh cocks of pure blood 
in the breeding pen every second year. This pre- 
vents deterioration in the stock. A two-j'ear-old 
cock with pullet and vi e versa. 

Nooi.e kind of food will make hens lay well. A 
judicious rotation of the best kinds of food, accom- 
panied with the requisite concomitants and calcer- 
ous matter, 

A little ingenuity and skill, at a comparative 
trifling expense, make comfortable quarters for 
fowls out of the various erections whioli are to be 
found connected with the farm and suburban home- 



Carelessness. 



Carelessness in the little details necessary to 
good management will show in the condition, health 
and prr>ductiveness of the fowls. The more care 
and attention to their daily wants the better their 
appearance and health, and the more cleanly they 



SJj, Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

are kept in well lighted and well ventilated bouses, 
and the more uniformly they are fed and watered, 
the better returns they will give their keepers. Re- 
member, this course of treatment always brings the 
best results, not alone in raising poultry, but any 
kind of domestic animals. The inexperienced nov- 
ice is too apt to think that any kind of care or food 
will do in raising poultry, and when cold weather 
sets in he allows his fowls to forage for themselves 
anywhere and everywhere, neglects to provide 
suitable shelter and proper food when the season 
and necessities to their comfort and well-being de- 
mand them. Poultry requires good food and good 
care to be productive, and without productiveness 
there is no profit. 



Kerosene as a Curative. 



We have seen, recently, testimonials from so 
many quarters, as well South as North, as to the 
efficacy of kerosene oil in chicken cholera, as to in- 
spire a hope that an unfailing remedy has at last 
been found for this hitherto most desolating disease. 
A Woodville, Mass., correspondent of the New Or- 
leans Home Journal says : "I tried all the remedies 
mentioned in your paper for cholera, but none 
seemed to do any permanent good until I tried coal 
(kerosene) oil; this has eff'ectually arrested the dis- 
ease, and I am satisfied it is a good thing." In addi- 
tion to this the editor of the Journal says: "We 
had a pullet which was actually on its last legs, not 
being able or willing to feed any more. Our better 
half took some grist and minted a sufficiency o* 



profitable Poultry Eaisin£. 55 

kerosene with it to make into pills and crammed 
some of it down the throat of the fowl. The effect 
was almost instantaneous, as, at the next feeding 
time, it appeared with the other fowls and partici- 
pated in the meal, and since then has been constant- 
ly improving. We now feed corn mixed in kero- 
sene oil three times a week, and since adop ing this 
mode have had no cases of cholera. 

A correspondent writing to the Country Gentle- 
man from Habersham county, Ga , says: " I have 
found kerosene oil a cure for chicken cholera. Last 
year I lost my entire flock. This year, by soaking 
my corn in kerosene, but one has died, although 
several have been sick. 



Cholera Cure. 



As soon as symptoms of cholera appear clean 
up your poultry houses and completely shower the 
floor from a watering can with one-half per cent, 
solution of sulphuric acid, and the yard so far as 
practicable t» eat in the same way. Feed nothing 
but cooked food — \ery sparingly. Use the Douglas 
mix'ure in the drink freely. Remove the fowls 
that are diseased to a warm dry room. Take blue 
mass a4id cayenne pepper, each one ounce, camphor 
gum half ounce, and a teaspoonful of laudanum ; mix 
well and make into pills of ordinary size. Give one 
pill ever;^ hour until purging ceases. Then take 
two ounces each of alum, resin, copperas, lacsul- 
phur and cayenne pepper, pulverize and mix. Feed 
three tablespoonsful of the powder with one quart 



56 Profitable Poultry Raising- 

of boiled or soft feed. This powder may also be 
fed as a preventative once or twice a week. 



To Cure Chicken Cholera. 



Place a saucer of water in a close box, burn 
some sulphur in the box, shut tightly, and at the 
end of half an hour open the box, take out the 
water and dissolve hyposulphite of soda in the water 
until it dissolves no more. Let settle, pour off" the 
clear water, and give the sick fowl a teaspoon ful 
three times a day, pouring it down the throat. Do 
not compound hyposulphite with sulphite or sulphate 
of soda. 



Cholera. 

Investigations of the cause and nature of chicken 
cholera, made by the Department of Agriculture at 
Washington, have not been without good results. 
From experiments made it has been found that the 
germ^ of this disease are taken into the body with 
the food and drink, and seldom ever with the air in- 
spired; that the ground on which diseased fowls 
are kept becomes infected with the virus from ex- 
crements of the fowls; also, that one-half per cent, 
solution of sulphuric acid will destroy the germs. 
These are not the only facts brought out by these 
investigations, but they are enough, if intelligently 
acted upon, to make poultry raising a much safer 
business than it has been of late years. 

If their highest happiness is to " scratch," and 



Profitahle Poultry Raising* 57 

it is thought best that they be indulged in this, 
turn them into the field or even the vegetable or 
flower garden, where they can have fresh ground 
in which to atnuse themselves, but never let them 
range and scratch and eat on the same ground. 

The almost universal pr ictice is to throw the 
food for the poultry on the ground. In this way 
the fowls take up more or less dirt, if present, the 
germs of the disease. As a preventative of the in- 
troduction or spread of the disease in this way, the 
fowls should always have their food and water sup- 
plied them from clean vessels. Every d: y grain, as 
corn or wheat, should be given them in small boxes 
or troughs, from which they can pick the feed but 
cannot tramp it with their soiled feet. 

The other point f f interest and to be remem- 
bered is that if the disease makes its appearance it 
may be checked and finally banished by the use of 
sulphuric acid. The floor of the poultry house, 
after being cleaned, should be well showered with 
the solution from the nose of a watering can, and 
the yard, so far as practical, treated in the same 
way. Sulphate of iron copperas is also a deadly 
poison to these germs, and is safer to handle than 
the sulphuric acid. One pint of dry copperas dis- 
solved in two gallons of water will be found strong 
enough, and I am not sure but a solution of less 
strength wou'd answer as well. 



Cure for Cholera. 



A Kentucky farmer cures fowl cholera by boil- 



58 Profitable Poultry Raising. 



inj( a bushel of smartweed ill ten g:Hlloiis of wat r 
down to three gallons, and mixing the decoction 
with their food twice a day, for three days, then 
every other day for a week. 



Lice. 

To guard against the eneroacliment of lice and 
other like vermin, the walls of the shed should be 
regularly washed every year with a strong liuje- 
wash, containing a poun i of sulphate of iron to 
every three gallons, applied hot from the slacking. 
A thorough syringing either with parafine or a solu- 
tion of carbolic acid will also be efficacious in get- 
ting rid of the annoyance. Carbolic acid is certain 
death to all insects, and is an invaluable aid to the 
resources of the poultry keeper. 

Experience proves that the use of dry, sifted 
coal ashes is an excellent exterminator of these 
pests. The ashes may be sprinkled over the roots, 
and a commodious box filled with the material 
should be provided for the fowls to dust in — a pro- 
vision of which they seem to take pleasure in avail- 
ing themselves. In making up nests for hatching, 
it is advisable to put ashes in the bottom and cover 
with clean straw. After the chicks make their 
appearance, the nest should be thoroughly cleaned 
and the straw and litter destroyed. In localities 
where coal ashes cannot be easily procured, good 
dry sand may be substituted, in which carbolic 
powder or sulphur, or both, has been sprinkled. 
It sometimes occurs that, in spite of all the pre- 



Projltahle Poultry Raising. 59 

cautions, the vermin accumulate to such an extent 
that the house becomes literally alive with them. 
In such cases a thorough cleaninoj is necessary. 
All the hay and straw in the nests should be burnt, 
the hens driven out and the house closed tipjhtly 
and fumig:atcd with sulphur. This may be done 
by putting a pound or so of brimstone in an iron 
pot and droppino^on it a piece of hot iron. Keep 
the house closed two or three hours, after which it 
should be well ventilated and sweptout thoroughly. 
The walls, inside and out— in fact, every place that 
can be reached — should be washed with hot water, 
in which has been dissolved potash, one pound to 
every quart of water. Then follow with the kero- 
sene oil. Fresh hay is needed for the nests, and as- 
surance is made doubly sure by whitewashing. 
This radical treatment is not accomplished without 
some trouble, but the result amply repays the labor. 



Roup. 

Probably the amateur, and sometimes even the 
experienced breeder, turns more anxiously to the 
treatises on th'S disease than to any other, for the 
reason that it is at once the most annoying and de- 
structive of the whole catalogue, though less to be 
dreaded now than formerly. Nearly all writers 
agree that roup results from exposure to damp, 
draughts and confinement in tainted coops. It is 
highly contag:ious, the germs of the disease being 
communicated by drinking or other contact. The 
symptoms of roup are at first identical with those of 



60 'Profitable Poultry Raising. 

a severe cold; the dischar<:e from the nostril, how- 
ever, soon loses its transparent character, becoming 
more or less opaque, with a peculiar and oft'ensive 
odor; froth appears in the inner corner of the eyes; 
the lids swell, and sometimes the e^e-ball is entirely 
concealed. In very severe cases the cavity of the 
nose becomes filled with the diseased secretion, 
which cannot escape, owing to the small size and 
closure of the nostril, and then the face swells con" 
siderably. 

Trkaiment. — In this disease, nearly equal num- 
bers recover, under various modes of treatment, so 
far as relates to internal remedies. But in all cases 
the bird is at once to be isolated, and the water ves- 
sels immediately disinfected. McDougall's Fluid 
Extract is excellent for this purpose. Warm, dry 
lodging Lud stimulating nutritious food are the first 
essentials to recovery. The eyes and head should 
be frequently bathed with warm water and reme- 
dial agents of some kind applied to the diseased 
membrane. This is somewhat difficult, on account 
of the nostrils being closed up, but may be overcome 
by inserting the point of a small syringe into the slit 
in the mouth and turning it rather to the outside 
for each nostril. Labarraque's solution of chlori- 
nated soda is the injection most in use by a number 
of the best fanciers. Tegetmeier says he has used 
a few drops of a dilute solution (10 grains to the 
ounce of water) of sulphate of copper, with very 
favorable results. This internal treatment is a dose 
of castor oil, to be followed every morning and 
evening by a pill of balsam copaiba, 1 oz. ; licorice, 



Pro fit able Poultry Raising. 61 

in powder, }4, oz.; piperiiie, I dracliin, with enough 
magnesia added to make the mass inlo sixty doses 
or pills. A few drops of tine ure of iron or Mc- 
DoiigalTs Fluid Extract should be added to the 
drinking water. 



Excelsior Roup Pills. 

Equal parts of ground saffron, asafd'lida, and 
hypostilphite of soda, made into small pills the size 
of a pea, or given in as much powder as will lay on 
a cent, twice a day to each lowl. 



Gapes. 

This disease is caused by the windpipe of chick- 
ens or young fowls being infested with worms, 
eventually causing suffocation. How the disease is 
propagated is a debatable question. The worm is 
usually found double, of a pale reddish color, and 
rather less thati three-quarters of an inch long. 

The number in one chicken usually varies from 
two to a dozen. Dirt and damp have undoubtedly 
a predisposing tendency, as it is well known that 
gapes rarely ever trouble a clean and dry yard. 

By many it is supposed that the worm is gen- 
erated in some manner by lice or a similar parasite 
which infests the head of young chicks, and as a 
preventative the following ointment, applied very 
lightly on the back of the head, on the throat, at)d 
under the wings, in a melted or fluid state, at the 
time 01 taking chickens from the nest, is said to 



62 Profitahte Poultry Raising. 

remedy the evil : Mercurial ointment,! oz. ; pure 
lard, loz.; flour of sulphur, % oz.; crude petro- 
leum, 1 oz. It is stated on good authority that 
chicks annointed in this manner have never had 
the gapes, while others of the same broods not an- 
nointed have been attected. Another method of 
keeping the chickens free from the i)arasites that 
are supposed to produce gapes, is to sipply once a 
week, under the wing and on the breast of the hen, 
a small quantity of carbolic soap in solution. The 
efl'ect of the ointment beginning to destroy the para- 
sites, would seem to give color to the theory tht^t 
gapes are the result of the piesence ot lice or simi- 
lar vermin, and would also tally ver^' well with the 
fact that disease is comparativ^^ly unknown in clean, 
comfortable quarters. A free use of carbolic disin- 
fecting powder is an excellent f)reventative. The 
disease may be checked, after it has entered the 
yard, by using fluid cai bonate camphor or lime in 
the drinl.ing water, and the aftected bird made to 
inhale the vapor of carbolic acid by placiiig a few 
drops on a red hot shovel, and holding the bird in 
the fumes until it is nearly suftocated. This kills 
the worms, and is an eff"ectnal cure. 

The worms may be taken from the throat, also, in 
the following manner : Take a medium soft quill 
feather, pluck the web from both sides to within a 
short distance of the tip, and wet with a solution 
of 20 grains carbolic acid and one ounce of glycer- 
ine. Run the feather down the windpipe, give it 
three or four turns and quickly withdraw. Kepeat 
two or tliree times with a new featlier each time, 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 63 

The acid paralyzes the worms, and the glj^eerine 
sticks them to the feather, and they are thereby 
drawn out of the trachea. The feathers and all 
matter drawn from the throat of the fowl should be 
burnt, in order to prevent the exposure of the rest 
of the Hock to contao^ion. 

Another remedy is to administer a kernel of 
black j)epper to the chick affected, which is said to 
destroy the worm. 



drapes in Chickens. 

In a recent conversation with an experienced 
chicken raist*r, he informed us that he had been 
very successful in conquering that precarious dis- 
ease in his young fowls by the application of air 
slacked lime. As soon as a manifestation of gapes 
in his fowls appear, he confines his chickens in a 
box, one at a time, sufiiciently large to contain the 
bird, and places a coarse piece of cotton or linen 
cloth over th6 top. Upon this he places the pulver- 
ized lime, and taps tlie screen sufliciently to cause 
the lime to fall through. This lime dust the fowl 
inhales and is made to sneeze, and in a short time 
the cause of the gapes is thrown out in the form of 
a slimy mass or masses ot worms, which has accu- 
mulated in the windpipe and smaller air vessels. 
This remedy he consiilers superior to any remedy 
he ever tried, and he seldom fails to afJect a perma- 
nent cure. I^ie has abjured all those mechanical 
means by which it is attempted to dislodge the 
entozona with instruments made of whale-bone, 



GJi, Profitable Poultry Raising. 

hog's bristles, horse hair or tine wire, alleging that 
people are quite as certain to push the gape worm 
farther down the throat of the fowls as to draw 
them up. — Poultry Nation. 



Selectiug and Mating of Stock. 

In selecting fancy stock, of course llic standard 
must be followed, and only the best anil most near- 
ly perfect specimens of their kind vi'.VdXnQ.d , provided 
they are all suited to each other. No hen should have 
the same faults as the cock. If one is faulty in a 
certain point, the other should be equally good in 
that ;»articular, so as to counteract the bad impress 
upon the offspring. Experience witli each breed 
must teach the fancier the best birds to retain for 
breeding. Often a bird that is not up to the stand- 
ard, and sometimes even a disqualitid bird, is desira- 
ble in the breeding yard, nay, of the higliest im- 
portance; for instance, in breeding Leghorns, a 
straight comb hen is inevitable to raise the finest 
and most erect combs on cockerels. So a spotted- 
breasted Dark Brahma and Brown Leghorn cock 
will produce the most beautifully penciled pullets. 
We remember seeing a communication in one of the 
poultry journals, by the late Mr. J. W. P. Hovey, 
in which he stated the case of a friend who ordered 
a trio of Brahmas, at a high price, mated for breed- 
ing, from a celebrated English breeder, and who 
was disgusted at receiving a poor-looking trio of 
birds, whose equals in looks, could have been pur- 
chased anywhere at $2.00 a head. But appearances 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 6S 

are deceitful, and hlood will tell, as was proven by 
the result. From that trio sprung noted prize 
birds. And so it is, the skillful breeder knows how 
to mate his birds to produce the best offspring. 
Amateurs, in starting, make a great mistake in pur- 
chasing exhib tion birds (as birds matched for exhi- 
bition are seldom rightly matched for breeding), or 
in purcliasing low-priced birds from unknown 
sources. The best plan is to send the price of a 
pair or trio of breeding birds to a responsible 
breeder, who has a reputation to maintain, and state 
plainly that you want birds whose progeny will 
speak their praises. In nine cases out of ten you 
will be satistied, not only in the birds received, but 
in the chicks they breed. In mating fowls, it is 
generally believed the hens effect mostly the size 
and torm, and the cock the plumage and market- 
ings or the chicks. If a choice can be had, it is pre- 
ferred to mate a cock (over one year old) with spring 
pullets. Be sure you select a good, vigorous cock, 
and the one who is, tlie " boss rooster." One cock 
will readily serve 10 to 15 hens of the larger breeds, 
and 15 to 20 hens of the small breeds. 



VARIETIES OF FOWLS. 



BRAHMAS. 

No breed of pure bred poultry, from the days 
of the hen fever to the present, have so universally 
maintained a front rank in the estimation of all 
poultry men as the Brahma. They are quiet in 
their disposition,' and very tame. A three-foot 



^6 Profitahle Poultry Raising, 




LIGHT BKAHMAS. 

fence will cnnfinp tlieni, jiikI no bieed in the world 
irj so well ad.iiiied to close L'ontinenient. They thrive 
well ill the smallest (|iiMiteis. They are ext-elient 
w'intei- layers; their eofjrs are ot varied shades. 
That /*»?•« Bralinias should lay eo:^s of one uiiifonn 
color is an exphtded hnbhle. They are very nmch 
inclined t'> sit, and this is a ;;reat drawback. Tiiey 
do not maune early, and are not so desirable for 
spring niai-ket imre bred as when crossed. For 
mothers, they are the ver}" best, when not too 
heavy. They have plenty of loose tlntf, and will 
cover ;i goodly number of e^<^^. They should be of 
large size, but no giants. The days of the "long- 
legged Shaughaes that could eat oli the top of a 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 67 

barrel and 11 that was in It," is past. Farmers and 
poulterers are beginning to realize that utility of 
form must be studied. It needs no demonstration 
to prove that it is highly unprofitable to feed corn 
and wheat to produce such bony parts as neck and 
leg. Matured cocks of 12 pounds, and hens of 10 
pounds, are fully as la- ge as can generally be had 
in connection with meritorious points. One pecu- 
liarity of this breed is the pea comb, which, being 
so small, is safe against the winter's frosts. 

'Light Bramahs, with us, are perhaps more gen- 
erally bred throughout the entire country thaaany 
otiier brec'i, and yet there is always a very lively 
demand for good stock at satisfactory prices. They 
aie often inclined to be long-legged; this must be 
guarded against by judicious selection. U\ mating, 
tl»e cock and liens should not both have dark hack- 
les, or the progeny will be very unsatisfactory. 
There is a prejudice in the minds of some that Light 
Brail mas are delicate, on account of their plumage. 
This is entirely a mistake. I'hey are altogether a 
most worthy breed, and invaluable to increase the 
size, laying and early maturity ol a lot of "dung- 
hills." 

Dark Brahmas have nearly tiie same character- 
istics as the Light. They are, however, deeper and 
more compact in body, with shorter legs. They are 
like the Lights, well feathered down to the ends of 
the tot?s, but should be free from vulture-hock. 
They are very hard to breed to the "standard;" 
only four or five birds out of every hundred will be 



68 Profitable Poultry Raising. 




J)ARK BKAHMaS. 

niftiit<>rion« show birds, even froiu tli(^ best stock. 
But all tlie reinaitiiiio^ birds are by no means worth- 
less. Many of them are *!jenerally as ^ood, and some 
even better, for breeding. 

COCHINS. 

Cochins are larjjje, noble-looking fowls, with an 
abundance of loose, flutty feathers, especially in the 
hens, thus making them the very best mothers. 
Mature cocks should weigh 10 to 13 pounds, and 
hens 8 to 10 pounds; small weights should not be 
tolerated, neither should extra heavy birdsbebred, 
if, as is generally the case, they are correspondingly 
badly proportioned. The legs should be abundantly 
feathered to the toes, but not " vulture-hocked." 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 69 




'-^^^m06i;i^ 



BUFF Ct>CHINS. 

They are very docile, chii be picked up by a child, 
and are easily confined. They are rather poor fora- 
gers, and mnst be fed liberally. They are good 
winter layers. Their eggs are of various shades. 
They are very much inclined to sit, and hard to 
break. On account of their large size they are in- 
valuable for crossing, whereby they can be im- 
proved .n early maturity and flesh. They have sin- 
gle, erect combs, of fine texture. Kecently a strain 
of Pea Comb Partridge Cochins has been intro- 
duced, and it is claimed for them the undoubted 
advantage for cold winters. We fear, however, that 
should this variety become popular, the distinct 
types of Brahmas and Cochins would be lost — 



70 Profitable Poultry Raising. 




I'AJUIUDGE corn INS. 

merojed into one common mixture. Cochins have 
so long been bred almost exclusive'.y for large size 
and fashionable form and markings, that the econo- 
mic qualities have been neglected. Much can be 
done in the way of improving their laying, etc. 
The varieties are the BufF, Partridge, Black and 
White Cochins- There. s also a new breed, styled 
the Sebright Cochins, not yet recognized in the 
standard, nor will that name be allowed, Butf 
Cochins are fowls of unusual beauty. They should 
be one of clear buff color throughout, (ree from any 
white or colored, feathers, or uneven shading. 
Partridge Cochins a^-e very aristocratic, with the 
deep black breast and beautifully resplendent and 
varied plumage of the cock, and the exquisitely pen- 
ciled hen, For small city yards a more pleasing 



Profitahle Poultry Paisin^. 71 




],!.\tK (■('^,•lll.^.^ 
bl'OOd C'dll'l >if;il Ci'l > It ■• il»'-iH't|. I>l;i'-U C"<'li i ne :i ro 

only r(H'<Mirl\- e-r;(l)li->lif'il, hnr :ii<' vi-y l>oMn'i(ii| 
and profitHble. Tlifv cMnimt (Mil xH.n to i-ikc ,1 
proniiiieiit position nnionii; tlipii fHlJowv:. Whitp 
Cochins, heiiiiT of a piir-f «;nov\ y wiiih-nc-s i lir<.ii(r||_ 
our, do not pi-esi'iit tl.<^ difHculties lo \\\o yonn'j^ 
bi'ee 'er vvl)i<|i .ut' sure to \h' rxporio k- d in r.iisinir 
the other VMilHtics o' Co<'liiii'i. ;ind Immh-c -avo <uie 
of the bP'St variptif'S to -^tait wiili. Ah rocldii^ ]v»c- 
sess the Siiuje idiaractrr i<ii s, mihI i In- .- nrifriu- >hould 
select the \ari«!ty b<'si s-iiu'd i<» hi. (.pu-y, 

l.ANGSHAN'S. 

This new A-^in'ic bi<'Hi| \\n< ali-ady att,iin(>d 
considerable po|Milai-ity, I n cddi- cr phiniau*' tl •• 
T.anjrshan are a rich metalic bjaciv, and nsiMnble 
the Black Cochins, but are a distinct breed. They 



72 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 




WHITE COCHINS, 
are round and deep in body, with breast broad, full, 
and carried well forward. They attain maturity 
early and grow to a large size; a cockerel of 7 or 8 
months old, fattened, will weigh 10 pounds, and 
pullets, same age, 8 pounds. Their meat and skin 
are white, and thej^ are an excellent table fowl ; 
the meat being of a delicate flavor. They are first- 
rate layers and not inveterate sitters; they lay better 
than any other Asiatic. 

The laying qualities of the Langshans are cer- 
tainly remarkable for so large a breed; none are 
better winter layers, and a few so good the year 
round, and when their large size and quick growth 
are taken into consideration, the Langshans must 
certainly b^ acknowledged a profitable breed. It 



Profitable Poultry Raising- 7S 

is not too much to saj'^ that they lay as well as the 
best layiiioj strains of Plymouth Rocks, Being a 
new breed, they will comm uid a more ready sale 
than the older varieties that are more oren«rally dis- 
seminated; hence it will pay farmers and others to 
grow them, to sell surplus stock to neighbors. 
Their tine qualities, together with their handsome 
appearance, a id fine, stylislj carria^, cannot fail 
to make this breed prove eminently satisfactory^. 

LKGHOKNS. 

Of late years Leghorns have attained a won- 
derful, almost a miraculous popularity. And well 
deserve it, too. They are, without doubt, the best 
layers. They are non-sitteis although, as in all 
non-sitting varieties, a hen will take a notion to- 
wards incubation, and will often perform her unac- 
customed duties very satisfactorily. Leghorns lay 
as many as 200 and 250 eggs per year. The pullets 
begin to lay at, four and one-half and five months 
old. The cockerels will crow at seven weeks old, 
and a very amusing sight it is to see a large flock 
of chicks at this age. They very soon learn to run 
after the hens. From the very egg, almost before 
"their mother knows they are out," they are the 
liveliest of all chicks. They are splendid fora-^ers, 
and after eight weeks old they generally pick up all 
their food among the wheat and stubble around the 
barn, etc. Their eggs are pure white, rather thin 
shell, and nearly transparent. They are not a large 
breed, but where eggs are desired, are all the more 
profitable on that account; i. «., with less machinery 



74 Profltahle Poultry Raising. 



to feed, tliey will shell out l.itjror results tlmii any 
other bret'il. The cocks weitrh 4}n to 6 pounds, and 
the hens 3^ to 4 pounds. 'I'ln-y ar.- very hardy and 
easil}^ raisctl. For market, aItlioiiu;li not la'i;*', thry 
are very presental)!*', with hrii^lit y* ll<»\\ 1i-ms and 
skin. They hive high sin;^lo conih-, which, in tliis 
climate, are :ipc to get frozen in w in km-. ! lii> ^p- ils 




WHITE LEGHORNS. 

their looks, but does not hurt tlieir hreedinfr quali- 
ties. No breed will so improve the laying: (imilitios 
of barnyard fowls as puie Lr>jrhorns. A cross of a 
White Leghorn cock on Light Brahma hen makes 
excellent farm chickens, earl}^ maturing, good siz*^, 
fine quality of tlesh, and excellent layers. 

White Leghorns were the first introduced, and 
fire the most generallj^ disseminated. They should 
be pure snowy Avhite throughout, and entirely free 
from any colored feathers, or a shade of yellow. 



Profi'table Potiltry Raising. 75 



Their car lobes should be solitl white or creamy 
white, and in thi^ pirticul'ir good strain- breed re- 
markably true. Their comb should be of medium 



BROWN LEGHOI.NS. 

size, perfectly erect and evenly formed, deeply ser- 
rated, with five prontinent points, wattles pendant, 
legs bright yellow, carrif.ge proud and upright. 

Brcwn Leghorns are of more recent introduc- 
tion, but are already the most popular. They are 
very beautiful, resembling the Blaclt Red Games in 
plumage, and from their fighting qualities we have 
reason to believe they contain some good blood. 

In England this breed is becoming very popu- 
lar, although as yet quite rare. They are pre-emi- 
nently an American breed. L. Wright, in his Eng- 
lish Bool of Poultry f says : "We consider them the 



76 Profitahle Poultry Raising- 



best layers we have ever met loith.'" Th-y have always 
been our favorites, and wherever inti"»>dncefl soon 
take the lead for eojo;s, on account of tlie immense 
quantity and ar^mirable quality of the same. Thoy 
have all the desirable qualities of this breed to a 
pre-eminent degree. 



WYANDOt rKS. 



This new breed has so ma'\y good points to rec- 
ommend them, both to the fancier and fnrmer, that 
thev will surely become very popular. Their plum- 
age is white, heavily lace 1 with black, the tail alone 
being solid black; the lacing on the breast being 
peculiarly handsome. They have a small rose<.omb, 
close fitting; face and ear lobes bright red. Their 
legs are free from feathers, and are of a rich yellow 
color. In shape they bear more resemblance to the 
Dorkings than any other breed. Hens weigh six to 
s-^ven pounds, and cocks seven to eight pounds each. 
They are very hardy, mature early, and are ready 
for market at any age. Their tlesh is very fit)e fla- 
vored and coarse grained, which, with their ^vellow 
skin, model shape and fine, plump app«'arance, par- 
ticularly adapts them for market. They are extra- 
ordinary layers, surpr sing every breeder at the 
quantity of eggs they produce. If allowed to sit 
they make most careful mothers, are content any- 
where, and will not attempt to tly over a fence four 
feet high. Their great beauty and good qualities 
will make for them a host of friends wherever the 
breed is introduced. 



Profi^tahte Poultry ttaising* 77 



BLACK SPANISH. 

Tlie White Face Black Spanish are one of the 
ohlHSt pure bree<ls. They are everhistinoj hiyers of 
very large egj?.*, of excellent flavor. Tlje yolk of 
the egg is not larger than of the ordinary ^-^^^ the 
white or alhinn^^u predominating. They are v« ry 




/ WHITE FACE BLACK SPANI8H. 

properly bretl, tlie only danger being from their 
large, erect, single combs, which will become frozen 
in very severe weather. They are very high in 
body, with tine, sryli^h carriage. Their legs of a 
lead color, becoming lighter v\ ith age. Breeding 
in-and-in also produces pale legs, and then a cross 
should be made witli a bluiSh-black legged cock of 
fresh blood. They are very poor table fowls, but 
their tine eggs entitle them to a high rank among 
the breeds of domestic poultry.. 



78 Profitable Poultry Raising. 



PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

Plymouth Rjcks. for a "general purpose 
bret'tl," are unsurpassed; desirable alike for eggs 
and early m irket chicks ; wliile they neither lay as 
many eggs as the non-sitting breeds, nor attain the 
great size of the Asiatics, yet tliey most nearly com- 




PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

bine the excellencies of each of these classes of 
fowls, and where one breed alone is kept, it would 
be hard to make a more suitable selection. Their 
origin is generally believed to have been from a 
cross oi the Black Javas and American Dominique. 
Certainly it is that they possess the good qualities 
of the latter with increased size. Their p'umage 
is an even Dominique color thioughout, the cock- 
erels being seveial shades lighter than the pullets, 
and both having single combs. For exhibition it is 



Profitable Pouliry jRaising. 70 

iieeessar}' tliat the cock and the hen should assiini-, 
late as nearly as possitjJe in colors and markings. 
Ir is, however, disastrous to mate a dark cock with 
li^lit htns or breedintf, as some dark chicks will 
r<'siilt from such a matinj^. Plj'mouth Rocks are 
tlrsi-rlass l.i^'eis ami o'ood mothers, but not invet- 
( late sitters. They probably lay more eg^s than 
an}' otlier large br^ed that hatches and rears its own 
young. -IMiey are of lar^e size aud mature very 
early. For spring cliickens, '"this breed, as soon 
a- it gets disseminated, will undoubtedly be one of 
the most protit:ib e." Tiiey have bright yellow legs 
and are a Hrst-rate t:il)le fowl. Tneir many good 
l)oi)it-i can scarcely l)e <JVi*r-i^stinMted. They are a 
'> g.MM'ial pui"i)ose " breed, and aie tin? best faiMnei-'s 
fowl, take them all in .ill, yet produced. Tiiey are 
remarkably hardy and healthy, excellent 'oragers, 
and not high-flyers. The cocks wc-igh nine to 
eleven pounds, and hens s ven to nine | ounds. 
Their i)lain, Quakej-like attire is a suitable every- 
day work dress, ;ind even farmers, who have an in- 
born dislike to fiUicy chickens, cannot but admit 
that the pure bnd IMymouth Rocks are far ahead 
of any cross for farm stock. Every farmer will find 
a trio of the fowls a prolitable investment, while 
fanciers will find no breed of fowls in so great a 
demand. 

IIAMBUKGS. • 

riamburgs area very popular breed of non-sit- 
ting fowls. They are unrivaled in variety and 
beauty of plumage. All llamburgs possess thesame 
general characteristics. iStylish and active in car- 



80 Frofitahle Poultry Raising. 



riage, slender, i-ather short, blue or siaty-blue legs, 
with deep red rose comb and close-fitting, pure 
white ear lobes. They require free range, and are 
then easily kept, as they are excellent foragers. 
They will lay upwards of 200 eggs in a year. While 
their eggs are not so large as those of the Leghorns, 




BLACK HAMBURGS. 

yet, as long as eggs are sold by the dozen this makes 
littl e material ditference in supplying the market. 
Mr. A. Beldon says of their early maturity, he has 
found that pullets of the penciled varieties lay at 
five months; the spangled not quite so early. The 
varieties of the Hamburgs are the Silver and 
Golden Penciled, the Spangled and the solid Black. 
The Black are the largest of all, and lay the largest 
eggs. They are also considered the most hardy. A 
great fault with many Black Hamburgs is a tend- 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 81 

ency to white on the lace. This should never be 
tolerated. The face must be one rich, deep red, like 
the wattles, contrasting strikingly with the pure 
white ear lobes. We have also seen fowls awarded 
a premium as Black Hamburgs that showed very 
plainly the carriage and form of the Black Spanish. 
gam; s. 
Games are generally familiar to every one, and 
are by many considered the fowls. Even those who 




BLACK BKEaS'IEU KED GAMES. 

rightly disapprove of the pit and its uses, admire a 
really dead game cock. No breed can equal them in 
true symmetry, elegance and style, with fearless 
expression. They are light feathered and all 
muscle. A game fowl will weigh much heavier 
than it appears. Cocks of good size will weigh six 



3^ Profitable PouUry Raising. 



and a half pounds, and hens five to five and a half 
pounds. Their flesh is unsurpassed, being the finest 
fiavoied of any breed of fowls. The}' are excellent 
laj'ers of fine, rich eggs, much e-*teenied. The hens 
are the very best niotliers, and will faithfully pro- 
tect their young broods. They Jire easily reared, 




DUCK WING COCK. 

and are undoubtedly a very profitable breed for 
econonnc purposes— the only drawback for domes- 
tic use being their fighting qualities. But these 
latter adding so to their beauty and elegance, be- 
sides the extra quality of their flesh, surely war- 



Profitable Poultry Raising- 83 



rant a little extra trouble with the young stags. 
When the young stags are troublesome in lighting 
each other, they can be penned in small coops, ar- 
ranged in tiers, and each one let out occasionally in 
a siii.'ill yard, to exercise. There is always a lively 
demand for pure games of fine strains, at very sat- 
isfactory prices, and they are consequently one of 
the most profitable fancy breeds. The varieties of 
g.-im-^s are numerous; our limited space does not 




RED PILE GAMES. 

permit a description of each. The most prominent 
are the Black Bre.isted Keds, Brown Breasted Eeds, 
Duckwings, Derby, Piles, Sumatra, White and 
Henry games. 

POLISH. 

The Polish fowls belong to the non-sitting 
breeds and are excellent layers. Their flesh is very 



olj. Profitable Poultry Raising ^ 



fine, tender aixl juicy. They are ren8onaHl y hardy, 
if kept from wet and dampness, which liiey cannot 
stand. They bear confinement well, better than 
any otiiers of the laying breeds, and can be bred 
snccessfnlly in very small (inarters. 'I'liey are very 
tfime. As an ornamental fowl they are ne plus ultra, 
and eomliinii.ir, as they do, so mmy ji:ood qualities, 
are excellent for a g<'nrbMnan's |>:irk, while for farm 




SIIAER POLISH HEN, 



use they cannot equal the Leghorns. The varieties 
of Polish are, the White Crested Black, pure White, 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 85 



Golden and Silver; the three latter being both plain 
and bearded. 

For a gentleman's henerj', where a plentihil 
snppl}^ of fresh, rich eggs is desired, we know no 
more ornamental or '"striking" vaiiety of fowls 
than the White Crested Black Polish. These fowls 
areentircdy black in color, of a licb glossy shade 
excepting the crest, which is pure white, with onh'^ 
a few black feathers at the base in front. They are 
prond and stylish in carriage, and ever active, being 




WHITK CRESTED BLACK P( I.ISH. 

ppcnliarly wide awake. Of l.itf years tisey hnv<^ 
become exceedingly })opnlar, and we have evon been 
snrprised at the great demand for first-class stock 
and eggs ; but we considei- tliat they are the most 
attractive variety of a very beautiful and useful 



86 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

breed of fowls. As old breeders know, most Polish 
are subject to the vertigo, but we have never liad a 
case of this among our White Crested Black Polish, 
they seemingco possess unusual vitality and strength 
of constitution. 

DOKKINGS. 

The Dorking is held in high repute in England, 
and is well deserving of general cultivation by the 
farmers and fanciers of America. En perfecting 
this fowl, John Bull — true to his old-time reputa- 
tion — has admirably catered to the tastes of an 
epicure. As a table fowl the Dorking is unsur- 
passed; affording an extra portion of very fine 
meat, remarkably abundant in the points most 
esteemed — the breast and wings are all of the very 
richest qualitj . They are a very heavy bodied fowl, 
well put up, with long, broad back, and close feath- 
ered. Altogether, they are one of the very best 
breeds for the "general purpose" of both table 
fowls and eggs. The varieties are the Pure White, 
the Silver Gray and the Colored Dorkings, the lat- 
ter not being bred to any special, standard of color. 
The Silver Grays embrace two varieties, the Rose 
Combed and the Single Comb, the latter being the 
most generally bred. They are so handsome that 
they have many admirers. The White Dorkings, 
as their name indicates, are spotless white in plum- 
age, contrasting nicely on a green sward. The 
Whites must all possess rose combs, square in front, 
firm and close-fitting, terminating in a point be- 
hind. All pure Dorkings should have a supernu- 
^nerary fiftb toe. We \yill conclude with tbe fol- 



Profiiahle Poultry Raising* 87 



lowing remarks from the pen of a well-known Eng- 
lish breeder: — 

" This good old-fashioned breed is so well 
known, and every where so appreciated, that we need 
say but little about it. Taey have one fault, how- 
ever, which detracts from their value, viz.: that 
they will not thrive well where ducks are largely 
kept, whether from the fac: that the damp soil 
which suits ducks is prejudicial to their health, or 
from other unexplained reasons. We have, our- 
selves, certainly proved that ducks are 'death* 
to Dorkings, and are compelled to keep them away 
from ground whch is tainted by waterfowl. The}^ 
lay a large white egg, are great favorites for table 
purposes, owing to wliite meaty brea-ts and the 
whiteness of their flesh." 




HOUD^N^o 



S8 Pj^ofltahle Poultry Raising. 

Hoiidans, with their fine, well-formed bodies, 
covered with a beautiful plumage of black and 
white intermixed, pinky legs,, and their head al- 
most hidden by the large crest, muffs and beards, 
and triple antler-like comb, and supernumerary 
toe, cannot fail to attract attention everywhere. 
They are the best and most hardy of any of the 
French breeds, and are a fine farmer's fowl. They 
also bear confinement well and are easily reared. 
As a table fowl they are well entitled to the cogno- 
men of '* The French Dorking." They are excel- 
lent layers of fine eggs of large size. The cocks are 
very vigorous, and can serve a large number of 
hens. The chickens usually hatch some hours be- 
fore their time, and it is a rare occurrence to find 
an unfertile egg. They are non-sitters. Houtlans 
make excellent crosses on common fowls or on Asi- 
atics. 

LaFleche and Crevecoeurs are also French 
breeds of poultry bred to a small extent in this 
country, but on account of their delicate constitu- 
tion are not valued for farmer's use. All the French 
breeds, it is believed, originated from a cross of the 
Polish and Crevecoeurs, and are, in fact, a Poli?h 
fowl, to all intent and purposes, but increased in 
size; the same ancestry is shown by the delicate 
constitution which characterizes nearly all the vari- 
eties. 

AMERICAN DOMINIQUES. 

These fowls are like the Plymouth Kocks in 
plumage and bright yellow legs. But unlike the 
Plymouth BoeKs they are an old established variety 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 89 



and breed very true to color; the cocks, however, 
are lighter colored than the hens. They have neat 
rose combs, are excellent table fowls, good layers, 
free breeders, very hardy, and one of the most val- 
uable breeds for the general farmer. Th^y are not 
quite as large as the Plymouth Rocks. 

BANTAMS. 

There are several distinct breeds of Bantams; 
the Game, Silver, and Golden Sebright and Black 
African, being the most important. All are culti- 
vated almost solelj'^ as pets, and hence it is not in 
our province to speak of them here. Bantams can, 
however, be bred in so small a yard (five or six feet 
square) that they can be kept by many who have no 
better facilities. They also will produce as many 
eggs, although of small size, as larger fowls. Noth- 




SEB RIGHT BANTAMS. 

ing can exceed their eggs in delicacy of flayo r 



90 Profitahle Poultry Raising. 

Small Bantams can be run in the same yanl with 
large Asiastics or Plymouth Rocks, without danger 
of mixing. 

TURKEYS. 

The varieties of turkeys are the mammoth 
Bronze, White Holland, Black, Slate and Buff Tur- 
keys. The Bronez Turkeys are gene ally considered 
the largest. Adult gobblers will weigh 40 and 45 
pounds each, hens 15 to 20. Young turkey gob- 
blers, at eight months old, will weigh from 20 to 25 
pounds each, and hens from 12 to 15 pounds. These 
are fair average weights. They will gain about one 
pound in two weeks. But o<^casionally, and also 
when birds are especially well ted, they will ex- 
ceed these weights. For breeding stock, however, 
it is not well to force them too much. Further 
north, where the snow is on the ground for a longer 
period, and where, consequently, the turkeys are 
fed more corn, they will weigh heavier. The new 
American standard onlj' recognizes the light-tipped 
turkeys, while the dark bronze are really tlie more 
beautiful, and by many breeders prfeired. Both 
colors can be bred from the same stock if they are 
so mated, but some of this off-spring will be of a 
mixed bronze plumage. The silver-tips, however, 
are generally purer bred. The dark bronze will 
often throw buff or cinnamon birds, showing that 
they have beeii crossed with that variety to secure 
the desired color. Pure Turkeys are believed to 
have originated from a cross of the wild turkey and 
the gray Narragansett, 



Profitahle Poultry Raising. 91 




BRONZE TUKKEYS. 

The White Holland Turkeys are a very hand- 
some and showy variety. The rkh red beads and 
the glossy black beard of the mile, contrasting 
beauti'uUy with a plumage of snowy whiteness. 
For a lawn, a finer or more aristocratic ornament 
could not be desired. They are not only "a thing 
of beauty," but are also a very valuable breed. 
They are very much larger than the common white 
turkey, and also unlike ihem, very hardy. Their 
flesh is much esteemed as of a superior delicacy 
They are especially valued on account of their supe- 
rior laying qualities and early mating. While their 
eggs are not quite as large as the Bronze, they ar^ 
produced more abundantly. 



9S Profttahte Poultry Raising. 

Black turkeys are distintjuished by an intense 
deep black color throughout, and are of large size. 

Blue turkeys, soinetimr»s called Slate turkeys, 
shoull be of an even slaty color throughout. The 
best stock of this breed was imported from France. 
They are much esteemed on account of their pro- 
lificacy, early maturity, large size, and rich flavor 
of their flesh; being, in many cases, fully equal in 
size to the Bronzp. This breed is well worthy of 
more general cultivation. 

Buft' turkej's are, as their name indicates, of a 
pure buft' color throughout. They are compara- 
tively but little bred. In no stock is the importance 
of a good male so fully evinced, and every farmer 
should, each year or two, as alread\' hinted, pro- 
cure a good thoroughbred gobbler, of either the 
Bronze, White Holland or Blue varieties. 

PEKIN DICKS. 

The duck of the period, and the coming duck. 
Although of recent introduction into this country, 
they have become remarkably popular in a very few 
years. They have already gained the preference 
over the other varieties. They are in constant de- 
mand, which pioves their real meiit. The plumage 
of the Pekin Duck is of a creamy-white, and they 
have yellow bills and orange legs. They are very 
ornamental, so much so that they are kept in some 
of our public parks. Their average weight is from 
14 to 16 pounds per pair. They, like all Asiatic 
fowls, appear decidedly larger than any other vari- 
ety of the duck family on account of their loose 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 93 




PEKIN DUCKS. 

tliitfy feathers, but sometimes they are equaled in 
weight by tiie very best Roueiis. They are also 
hiiichly esteemed for their early maturity, hardiness* 
tlesh and eggs. They are the very best laying ducks 
known; a single duck has been known to lay 150 
eggs pel' year. Tuey are easily confined, and re- 
quire no more water than chickens. 

AYLESBURY DUCKS. 

They are deservedly popular on account of 
their prolitic qualities, size anil early maturity. 
Tliey are of a spotless white, with flesh colored 
bills and bright orange colored legs. They lay 
large and well flavored eggs in abundance, between 
the months o' March and June. They are an ex- 
cellent table fowl, their flesh being beautifully 
whi'e, and always commanding a high price in the 

market. 



9jj, Profitable Poultry Raising. 




AYLESBURY DUCKS. 



EMBDEM GEESE. 

The Embdem Geese appear first, so far as at 
present known, in Holland, althouojh they receive 
their name from a town in G3rm:xny. They were 
first imported into America in 1821, having been 
shipped from Bremen, for which reason, doubtless, 
they are sometimes called the Bremen. The Emb- 
dem goose is pure white, the legs, feet and bill being 
yellow, the eye of a peculiar blue. In shape, they 
have some advantage over their rivals, the Tou- 
louse in the absence of the depending belly, which 



Profitable Poultry Raising. 95 

is, in some e3'^e8 a deformity. This variety of geese 
reaches nearly, if not quite as large size as any 
other. The light feathers of the Embden variety 
make them more popular with some, since these 
bring a better price in market. The tlesh is spoken 
of with great praisrt as being less dry thin that of 
thj coninun goosd ; the breed is of a quiet disposi- 
tion, and therefore grows rapidly. The Embden is 
an early layer, and under proper circumstances 
often produces two broods a year. Whoever will 
keep them will find them profitable, while their 
beautiful, snow-white plumage m ikes the fiock an 
ornament to the poultry yard. 

AFRICAN, i>R HONG KONG GEESE. 

They are a very ornamentil breed. They are 
as hardy and as easily reare 1 as any oth ^r geese. 
In color they are of a grayish brown, with 
a brown strips down the bick of the neck. 
They have black bills and dusky orange-colored 
legs. A mirked peculiarity is a black protuber- 
ance or knob at the base of the upper bill. They 
mature early and are a goo I table fowl. I'hey are 
decidedly the best layers of a goose family, laying 
25 or 30 e^gs> before showing any inclination to sit, 
and will lay three or four litters in a season, while 
other varieties rarely lay over 15 eggs. They com- 
mence laying in February if the weather is mild, 
and again in September. 



96 Profitable Poultry Raising. 

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